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ILLUSTRATIONS  ON  COVER. 


Sailor’s  Neckerchief 
Boatswain’s  Colt  . 
Friendship  Knot  . 


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CHARLIE  ERSKINE, 

Late  Coxswain  of  the  United  States  Brig  PorpoiseU 

From  a Daguerreotype  taken  by  Plumb,  75  Court  vSt.,  Boston,  in  1842. 


MR.  CHARLES  ERSKINE, 

The  Author. 

Photograph  taken  by  J.  W.  Black,  333  Washington  St.,  Boston, 


1882. 


TWENTY  YEARS  BEEORE 
THE  MAST 


WITH  THE  MORE  THRILLING  SCENES  AND 
INCIDENTS  WHILE  CIRCUMNAVIGATING 
THE  GLOBE  UNDER  THE  COMMAND 
OF  THE  LATE  ADMIRAL 
CHARLES  WILKES 
1838-1842 


CHARLES  ERSKINE 


IVith  Numerous  Illustrations 


BOSTON 

Published  by  the  author 

i8go 


Entered,  according-  to  the  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  i8qo. 
By  Charles  Erskine, 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. 


inorntng  Star  press, 

Boston. 


1 

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t 


62 

oi 

c\ 


) 


To  THE  CREW  OF  THE 
Sl^tp  Untr»ersal 

THIS  BOOK  IS 

RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATED 

BY  ONE  OF  THEIR  SHIPMATES 

THE  AUTHOR 


■ f 

■TV 


f 

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Every  man  is  a valuable  member  of  society  who,  by 
his  observatio7is,  researches,  and  experience,  procures 
knowledge  for  men,  — Smithson. 


TO  THE  READER. 


I MUST  ask  you,  as  you  read  the  following  pages, 
to  bear  in  mind  that  I have  been  only  a common 
sailor  before  the  mast.  I trust  you  will  expect 
from  me,  therefore,  nothing  higher  in  eloquence 
than  a seaman’s  language.  I have  stood  before 
no  professor’s  chair,  no  classic  lore  has  been  in- 
stilled into  my  mind,  I have  received  no  college 
or  even  common  school  education,  nor  am  I in- 
debted in  any  way  to  literary  studies  for  such 
knowledge  of  men  and  things  as  I may  possess. 
My  ideas  are  my  own  — not  the  reflex  of  another’s 
mind.  The  world  has  been  my  school,  and  from 
the  book  of  nature  have  I taken  all  my  lessons. 

For  twenty  years  I sailed  the  ocean  under  our 
country’s  flag,  whose  broad  stripes  and  bright 
stars  have  floated  to  the  breeze  in  every  clime ; 
and  on  every  shore  I visited  I found  something 
grand  or  wonderful,  beautiful  or  sublime,  that 
photographed  itself  upon  my  memory.  From 
earliest  boyhood  my  heart  went  out  in  admiring 
love  towards  those  great  navigators  whose  discov- 


VI 


PREFACE. 


cries  have  caused  their  names  to  be  inscribed  on 
the  scroll  of  the  world’s  immortals.  My  heart 
thrilled  at  the  name  of  Columbus,  whose  heroic 
soul  was  made  to  feel  the  meanness  of  kings,  and 
whose  dauntless  courage  called  into  creation  a 
New  World  which  shall  yet  outrival  in  glory  the 
greatness  of  the  Old.  Of  almost  equal  interest  to 
my  boyish  imagination  were  the  brothers  Cabot; 
Ponce  De  Leon,  the  romantic  wanderer  after  the 
fountain  of  perpetual  youth  ; and  De  Soto,  the 
proud  cavalier  who  discovered  the  mighty  Missis- 
sippi, only  to  find  a grave  beneath  its  waters. 
Men,  all  these,  who  were  courageous  and  enter- 
prising, and  whose  adventures,  sometimes  tragic, 
sometimes  romantic,  have  contributed  largely  to 
the  annals  of  discovery. 

Passing  onward  through  the  centuries  of  mari- 
time adventures,  I feel  yet,  as  in  the  days  of  my 
youth,  a mighty  magic  in  the  names  of  Drake, 
PVobisher,  and  the  ill-fated  Sir  Walter  Raleigh. 
My  imagination  takes  me  over  the  southern  seas 
with  Tasman,  Cook,  and  Magellan,  over  the  burn- 
ing sands  of  Africa  with  Mongo  Park,  Living- 
stone, and  the  dauntless  Stanley.  I visit  the 
ice-bound  regions  of  the  Arctic  and  Antarctic 
with  Perry,  Franklin,  Ross,  Wilkes,  and  D’Urville, 
with  Hudson,  Ringold,  De  Haven,  with  Knox, 
Kane,  and  De  Long ; and  I drop  a tear  to  the 


PREFACE. 


Vll 


memory  of  those  intrepid  men  who,  in  the  realms 
of  the  pitiless  ice-king,  became  martyrs  to  their 
zeal  for  geographical  discovery. 

In  the  world’s  early  days  the  command  of  God 
to  man  was,  to  subdue  the  earth,  to  conquer  it, 
and  to  civilize  and  fit  it  for  the  habitation  of  the 
human  race.  Nor  did  God’s  command  apply  to 
this  portion  or  that  only,  or  merely  to  lands  where 
nature  smiles  in  loveliness ; nor  yet  to  the  forest 
primeval,  the  cloud-capped  hills,  the  far-stretching 
plains,  or  the  regions  of  eternal  ice  and  snow ; 
but  to  the  whole  earth  in  its  completeness.  This 
should  be  man’s  mission.  So  long  as  one  spot  of 
this  huge  globe  remains  to  be  subdued,  man,  the 
conqueror,  must  go  forth  to  battle,  and  unfurl  in 
every  clime  the  standard  of  civilization  and  Chris- 
tianity, in  obedience  to  the  Divine  command. 
Such,  at  least,  is  my  unlearned  interpretation  of 
the  Bible  language. 

I confess  myself  anxious  to  inspire  you,  my 
dear  friend,  with  some  little  enthusiasm  in  the 
cause  of  geographical  science.  You  cannot,  like 
Mahomet,  go  to  the  mountain,  and  so  the  moun- 
tain must  be  made  to  come  to  you.  We  cannot 
all  be  sailors  and  travelers,  and  visit  foreign  lands  ; 
and  so  I intend  that  some  of  these  strange  places 
— the  sunny  islands  of  the  Pacific  and  the  frozen 
regions  of  the  Antarctic — shall  visit  you.  As 


Vlll 


PREFACE. 


you  peruse  these  pages  I trust  that  they  will 
awaken  in  your  heart  an  endearing  love  for  the 
sublime  and  beautiful  in  God’s  wonderful  creation, 
and  that  they  will  bring  you  into  earnest  sympa- 
thy with  those  fearless  pioneers  of  civilization  who 
go  forth  in  contempt  of  danger  and  death,  to  add 
to  the  sum  of  man’s  knowledge  of  the  world,  to 
widen  the  boundaries  of  civilized  existence,  and  to 
obey  the  first  and  last  command  of  Almighty  God, 
who  has  decreed  that  this  earth  shall  be  subdued, 
and  the  Gospel  preached  to  every  creature. 

I have  refreshed  my  memory  by  reading  the 
history  of  our  cruise  in  the  United  States  explor- 
ing expedition,  under  the  command  of  the  late 
Admiral  Charles  Wilkes,  and  wish  to  acknowledge 
my  indebtedness  to  the  same  for  dates  and  a few 
facts  and  illustrations. 


Charles  Erskine. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE. 

Boundary  Stone i 

Departure  of  the  Expedition 15 

Slaves  Sleeping 40 

Group  of  Patagonians 41 

Patagonian  Beauty 42 

Terra  del  Fuegian 46 

Diagram  of  Wave 47 

Mock  Suns 51 

Mirage  — the  Peacock 52 

Mirage  — the  Vincennes 53 

Island  of  San  Lorenzo 56 

Southern  Cross 63 

Tahitian  Girl 72 

Native  with  Cocoanuts 77 

Pago  Pago  Bay 82 

A “ Devil  ” Man  . ' 86 

Native  Throwing  the  Boomerang 100 

Native  Dance loi 

The  First  Icebergs 105 

Tabular  Iceberg 108 

The  Vincennes  in  a Gale 109 

Aurora  Australis 117 

The  Albatross  in  the  Plollow  of  a Wave 125 

Inclined  Iceberg 127 

New  Zealand  Chief 139 

A Fiji  Beauty,  One  of  Tanoa’s  Daughters 146 

One  of  Paddy  Connell’s  Five  Wives 149 


X 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE. 

Cannibal  Chief  Vendovi 1^2 

hdji  Chief  Tui  Levuka 154 

Fiji  Major  Drummer 1^9 

Pdji  Drummer 187 

Queen  Emma,  One  of  Tanoa’s  Wives 191 

Kingsmill  Idol  199 

The  Seaman’s  Bethel,  Honolulu 206 

Camp  on  Pendulum  Peak 223 

Hawaiian  Temples  and  Gods 226 

Flat-headed  Squaw  and  Child 234 

Celebration  of  the  Fourth  of  July 237 

Loss  of  the  Peacock 241 

The  Vincennes  on  the  Bar 246 

Eating  Poe 247 

Hawaiian  Idol  250 

The  House  Where  I was  Born 303 

Tail-piece  31 1 


FULL-PAGE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

BETWEEN 

PAGES 

Charlie  Erskine Frontispiece 

Mr.  Charles  Erskine “ 

Tahiti,  the  Gem  of  the  Pacific 70“7i 

Maleitoa,  the  Christian  Chief 86-87 

Emma,  Daughter  of  Maleitoa 88-89 

Natives  Hailing  the  Re-appearance  of  the  Pleiades  . . 90-91 

Corrobory  Dance loo-ioi 

The  Vincennes  in  Disappointment  Bay 106-107 

Missionary  Preaching  to  Natives 112-113 

Massacre  of  Lieutenant  Underwood  and  Midshipman 

Wilkes  Henry 1 74-1 75 

Tanoa,  King  of  the  P'iji  Islands 186-187 


TWENTY  YEARS  BEFORE  THE  MAST. 


CHAPTER  I. 


I WAS  born  in  the  first  house  on  the  east  side  of 
Roxbury  Street,  just  over  the  Boston  line,  in  the  his- 
toric old  town  of  Roxbury.  The  hip-roofed  old  man- 
sion still  stands,  the  front  end  facing  the  street.  In  the 
middle  of  the  sidewalk  rises  a stately  elm  tree,  in  front 


of  which  is  a stone  post  some  three  feet  high,  bearing 
on  one  side  the  inscription  R.,  A,  D,  j82J,  on  the 
other,  B.,  A.  D,  1823,^  This  stone  marks  the  bound- 
ary line  between  the  towns  of  Boston  and  Roxbury. 

1 In  that  year  (1823)  the  town  of  Boston,  having  twenty-five 
thousand  inhabitants,  was  incorporated  a city. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


2 


As  I was  born  in  one  of  the  first  houses,  I must  belong 
to  one  of  the  first  families.  My  father  was  of  Scotch 
descent.  My  ancestors  came  over  about  the  time 
Miles  Standish  did.  Our  family  motto  is,  add 

ho7ior  to  that  of  our  ancestors T I never  saw  my  father 
until  I was  over  thirty  years  old,  as  the  sequel  will  show. 
My  mother  was  a Sturtevant,  of  Dutch  descent.  Ours 
was  a very  patriotic  family,  and  fought  both  in  the  Revolu- 
tion and  the  War  of  1812.  My  mother’s  brother.  Major 
Thomas  Sturtevant,  with  General  Dearborn,  Colonel 
Spooner,  and  Colonel  Wyman,  received  President 
Monroe  in  1817,  and  General  Lafayette  in  1824,  on 
their  arrival  in  the  old  stage-coach  at  Taft’s  Tavern, 
near  the  toll-gate  at  Brush  Hill  Turnpike.  On  each 
occasion  my  mother  served  lunch  on  their  arrival  at  the 
line,  after  which  the  latter,  Lafayette,  was  escorted  to 
the  house  of  Governor  Eustis,  near  the  Dorchester  line. 
I have  in  my  possession  four  of  six  vases  which  Pres- 
ident Monroe  sent  to  my  mother  soon  after  his  arrival 
in  Washington. 

I was  christened  in  the  old  wooden  meeting-house 
on  the  hill  opposite  the  Norfolk  House,  by  Dr. 
Eliphalet  Porter,  and  was  named  for  an  old  gray- 
headed negro  who  did  chores  for  the  folks  about  town, 
and  went  by  the  name  of  Clever  Charlie.”  My  father 
was  a well-to-do  currier,  and  possessed  some  consider- 
able property ; but  the  drawing  of  a large  prize  in  a 
lottery  ruined  him.  He  became  addicted  to  drink,  neg- 
lected his  business,  and  finally  left  for  parts  unknown. 

1 was  the  youngest  of  five  children.  When  I was  quite 
small,  my  mother  moved  to  Cambridge,  and  thence  to 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


3 


Boston.  She  was  not  very  well  or  strong,  and  worked 
hard  to  support  her  little  family.  I was  sent  to  school, 
hut  very  seldom  went,  — in  fact,  I hooked  Jack  ” nearly 
all  the  time.  There  were  no  truant  officers  or  police- 
men in  those  days,  and  only  seven  constables  in  all 
Boston  : old  Reed,  old  Jones,  old  Clapp,  the  two  old 
Browns,  and  the  two  old  — I-forget-their-names.  I used 
to  run  down  the  harbor  in  the  old  sloop  Sal  after 
paving- stones  and  sand,  and  sometimes  at  noon  my 
feeble  voice  might  have  been  heard  at  the  head  of 
State  Street,  crying  out,  Here’s  the  Mail,  Bee,  and 
Times y I also  tended  dinner- table  in  old  Hunt’s  cellar 
on  Commercial  Street.  John  B.  Gough  tended  bar  there 
too,  and  roomied  at  my  mother’s.  If  I was  wanted  at  any 
other  time,  I could  easily  be  found  down  at  the  wharves, 
in  some  ship’s  jolly-boat,  or  up  in  one  of  her  tops,  scan- 
ning the  harbor.  How  I enjoyed  listening  to  the  sailors 
spinning  yarns  about  the  foreign  countries  they  had 
seen  and  the  sunny  islands  of  the  Pacific  ! I caught 
the  sea-fever  badly.  It  struck  to  my  brain,  and  I made 
up  my  mind  to  be  a sailor  anyway.  I knew  very  well 
that  I was  not  one  of  the  best  boys  in  Boston,  though 
I had  one  of  the  very  best  of  mothers.  She  was  so 
good  and  loving  that  I could  not  harbor  the  thought  of 
deserting  her  — I knew  it  would  almost  break  her  poor 
heart ; but  I kept  coaxing  and  teasing,  teasing  and  coax- 
ing, until  I had  almost  bothered  the  life  out  of  her.  At 
last  I gained  her  consent,  and  was  made  one  of  the  hap- 
piest boys  in  all  Boston.  Without  emotion  I could  say  : 

“ Farewell  to  the  land  of  my  childhood  and  youth, 

The  lund  of  the  Bible,  religion,  and  truth ! 


4 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


Thou  bright  land  of  blessings  in  every  form, 

I leave  thee  and  fly  to  the  billow  and  storm.  ” 

It  was  on  a bright,  sunny  morning  in  the  month  of 
June  that  we  sailed.  Old  Sol  ” never  shone  brighter,  as 
he  shed  his  warm  rays  into  the  back  windows  of  the  old 
Spurr  house  on  Commercial  Street.  Here  mother  hired 
several  rooms  on  the  second  floor,  and  it  was  in  one  of 
these  back  rooms  that  I received  her  blessing.  I shall 
never  forget  the  time  or  the  place.  There  was  a fond 
embrace  from  a loving  mother,  a kiss  on  the  forehead, 
and  a God  bless  you,  my  son  ! Be  a good  boy,  obey 
your  captain,  and  never  forget  to  say  your  prayers.^’ 
Kind  reader,  no  earthly  being  can  bless  you  as  a loving 
mother  can.  As  I looked  up  and  saw  the  thin,  pale  face 
of  my  mother,  I felt  the  hot  tears  roll  down  my  young 
cheeks.  I was  almost  choked.  I could  not  look  up 
again  or  utter  a single  word,  but  I thanked  God  that  I 
had  her  consent  to  go,  and  that  I was  not  running 
away  to  sea  and  leaving  mother  and  home  for 

“ A life  on  the  ocean  wave 
And  a home  on  the  rolling  deep.” 

In  less  than  an  hour  I was  on  board  the  good  old 
schooner  Lo7igwha7^f^  Captain  Cook  of  Provincetown, 
and  standing  down  the  Bay,  bound  to  the  Banks  for 
a fishing  cruise. 

From  this  time,  I made  several  trips  cod-fishing  and 
mackerel-catching,  and  also  a number  of  voyages  to  the 
West  Indies  and  some  of  the  southern  ports.  As  so 
much  has  been  written,  however,  about  the  slave-ships 
and  the  pirates  of  the  West  Indies,  I will  not  go  into 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


5 


the  details  of  any  of  these  short  voyages,  but,  instead, 
will  give  you  one  of  them  in  the  form  of  a ditty  : 

A Sailor’s  Ditty. 

’T  was  on  the  twenty-first  of  April,  from  Hampton  Roads  we  sailed. 
Kind  heaven  did  protect  us  with  a sweet  and  pleasant  gale. 

’Twas  on  board  the  Roving  Betsy, — bold  Daniels  was  his  name,-— 
And  we  were  bound  down  to  Laugarra  on  the  Spanish  Main. 

When  to  Laugarra  we  came,  my  boys,  our  orders  they  were  so : 

To  land  a part  of  our  cargo  and  proceed  to  Curacoa. 

When  to  Curacoa  we  came,  my  boys,  our  cargo  for  to  unload, 

’T was  ‘‘Get  the  Betsy  in  readiness  for  Port  Laugarra  Roads.” 

Our  captain  called  all  hands  aft,  and  then  to  us  did  say, 

“Here’s  money  for  you  all,  my  lads,  for  to-morrow  we  go  to  sea.” 

’T  was  early  the  next  morning  all  hands  appeared  on  board. 

And  cheerfully  got  under  way  for  Port  Laugarra  Roads. 

’T  was  early  the  next  morning,  just  at  the  break  of  day. 

When  a man  at  our  foretop-mast-head  a sail  he  did  espy. 

All  hands  being  called  to  quarters,  our  courage  for  to  try,  — 

All  hands  being  called  to  quarters,  — our  enemy  draws  nigh. 

She  mounted  twelve  six-pounders,  and  fought  one  hundred  men. 
And  now  the  action ’s  just  begun  — it  was  just  half-past  ten. 

We  mounted  four  six-pounders,  and  our  crew  was  twenty-two; 

But  in  fifty  minutes  by  the  watch  we  whipped  those  Spaniards  blue. 
And  now  we  are  repaired,  brave  boys,  bound  for  Columbia’s  shore, 
And  for  the  famous  America  and  the  city  of  Baltimore. 

Now,  to  conclude  my  ditty  (these  lines  this  world  may  view). 
Success  attend  brave  Daniels  and  his  jovial  twenty-two. 

Home  again!  Home,  home,  sweet  home,  — be  it 
ever  so  humble,  there’s  no  place  like  home.”  Never 
were  there  truer  words  written.  So  far  I have  not  found 
anything  homelike,  or  any  sunshine,  in  the  dark,  damp, 
dingy,  dreary  forecastle.  It  does  seem  sort  of  jolly, 
though,  when  you  pass  round  the  can,  and  some  old 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


weather-beaten  man-of-war’s  man  or  privateersman  sings 
lustily  : 

“Then  we’ll  sling  the  flowing  bowl. 

Fond  hopes  arise; 

The  girls  we  prize 
Shall  bless  each  jovial  soul. 

For  the  can,  boys,  bring : 

We’ll  dance  and  sing. 

While  the  foaming  billows  roll,”  — 

or  ‘‘Jack,  the  Lad,”  “ Black-eyed  Susan,”  or  the  song 
Jack  likes  the  best  — “The  Girl  I Left  Behind  Me.” 

They  were  glad  to  see  me  home  again,  — mother, 
brothers,  sisters,  and  friends,  — and  we  had  a jolly  time 
together  once  more.  The  very  next  day,  however,  I took 
a cruise  on  the  wharves  and  visited  old  Titcomb’s  ship- 
ping office.  He  told  me  shipping  was  very  dull  and 
rates  low,  but  offered  me  a boat-steerer’s  berth  with 
a very  high  lay  on  board  a whaler.  This  almost  per- 
suaded me  to  ship,  but  while  on  Constitution  Wharf,  my 
eye  caught  sight  of  a man-of-war  brig  lying  at  anchor  in 
the  stream  off  the  Navy  Yard,  Charlestown.  The  follow- 
ing day  I paid  the  Yard  a visit.  While  viewing  the  brig, 
I saw  the  boatswain  in  a boat  ahead  of  her,  squar- 
ing the  yards  by  the  lifts  and  braces.  She  proved  to 
be  the  ten-gun-brig  Porpoise.  She  sat  like  a duck  on 
the  water,  and  looked  as  trim  and  neat  as  a young  lady 
in  her  Sunday  rig.  I must  confess  that  I was  fairly  car- 
ried away  with  her  and  bewitched  with  her  rakish  looks. 
I was  suddenly  awakened  from  my  dream  by  a gentle 
tap  on  the  shoulder  from  an  officer  who  proved  to  be 
Captain  Ramse)^  commander  of  the  handsome  brig. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


7 


He  asked  me  how  long  I had  been  at  sea,  where  I was 
born  and  brought  up,  whether  I had  a father  and  mother 
living,  and  how  I would  like  to  sail  with  him  in  that 
man-of-war  brig.  I told  him  that  was  just  what  I 
wanted.  Calling  in  at  an  office  near  the  gate,  he  wrote 
and  gave  me  a paper,  telling  me  that  if  I could  get  my 
mother  to  sign  it,  I could  go.  After  a great  deal  of 
coaxing  and  many  promises  I persuaded  her  to  sign 
the  paper.  I went  on  board  the  brig  the  next  morning, 
and  we  sailed  in  the  afternoon. 

When  a few  days  at  sea,  the  purser  ordered  me  to 
sign  the  ship’s  articles.  I refused.  Then,  being  or- 
dered to  sign  them  by  the  captain,  I made  my  mark, 
as  I was  unable  to  write  at  the  time.  We  had  on  board 
Commodore  Woolseley,  Captain  Shubrick,  and  Captain 
Stringham.  We  visited  the  West  India  Islands  and 
touched  at  some  of  the  southern  ports.  On  our  return 
we  encountered  a very  heavy  gale  off  Hatteras,  and  lost 
two  of  our  bow  guns  overboard.  As  I was  lashing  a 
hen-coop  forward,  the  brig  shipped  a heavy  sea,  and  I 
was  washed  out  overboard  through  one  port-hole,  and 
back,  by  chance,  through  another. 

On  our  arrival  at  Norfolk  we  were  transferred  on 
board  the  receiving-ship  Java,  The  frigate  Bi^andyzvine 
was  being  fitted  out  for  the  Mediterranean  station,  and 
we  were  told  that  we  must  re-enter  the  service  and  go 
on  board  of  her,  or  be  discharged.  All  hands  took 
their  discharge.  Mine  read  as  follows:  ^^This  is  to 
certify  that  Charlie  Erskine,  coxswain,  is  regularly  dis- 
charged from  the  sea  service  of  the  United  States  and 
from  the  U.  S.  ship  JavaB  [Signed]  E.  B.  Boutwell, 
Lieutenant,  March,  1837. 


8 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


In  taking  my  discharge,  I was  told  by  Lieutenant 
Boutwell  that  my  wages  amounted  to  one  hundred  and 
sixty-nine  dollars,  but  I was  paid  only  one  dollar  and 
seventy-one  cents.  The  lieutenant  said  that  the  rest 
of  my  wages  had  been  paid  to  Captain  Ramsey  three 
days  before,  and  that  he  had  gone  to  Washington.  In- 
stead of  coxswain,  I should  have  been  rated  on  the  ship’s 
books  as  a first-class  boy,  at  eight  dollars  per  month. 
The  duty  of  the  coxswain  is  to  have  charge  of  the  cap- 
tain’s gig.  It  is  a petty  officer’s  berth,  and  belongs  to  an 
able-bodied  seaman. 

The  next  day  I set  out  for  Washington  in  company 
with  another  boy  about  my  age  by  the  name  of  Martin. 
He  also  was  rated  as  a petty  officer,  and  the  captain 
had  taken  his  wages.  On  arriving  in  Washington,  we 
soon  found  the  captain’s  house.  He  put  us  at  menial 
service  for  a time,  and  then  hired  us  out  to  work  on 
the  Georgetown  aqueduct.  In  the  evenings,  my  chum 
and  I used  to  visit  the  Capitol.  I remember  seeing 
there  John  C.  Calhoun,  R.  M.  Johnson,  John  Tyler, 
Colonel  Washington,  Judge  Bibb,  James  Bell,  James  K. 
Polk,  General  Cass,  Judge  Woodbury,  Edward  Everett, 
Daniel  Webster,  John  Davies,  Colonel  Benton,  Otis, 
Hayne,  Ticknor,  Judge  Story,  Sumner,  General  Scott, 
John  Q.  Adams,  Henry  Clay,  and  other  distinguished 
men.  I was  very  much  impressed  with  their  noble 
looks,  and  shall  never  forget  them.  Most  of  them  had 
round  and  very  large  heads.  Calhoun’s  was  long ; 
Clay’s  was  long,  but  smaller.  General  Cass  had  a 
wart  on  the  side  of  his  nose.  Such  an  array  of  talent  » 
and  intellect  I have  never  seen  since,  although  I have 


9 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


visited  Washington  several  times  in  later  years.  It  was 
a grand  sight  to  look  upon  these  great  men. 

One  afternoon  the  captain  paid  us  a visit,  in  order  to 
get  hold  of  our  wages.  I do  not  know  what  he  thought 
of  us,  for  we  felt  and  looked  like  two  drowned  rats. 
We  were  smeared  all  over  with  mud,  and  were  wet 
through  and  through  to  the  skin.  We  told  him  that 
this  slinging  mud  was  not  sailor’s  duty.  He  told  us 
to  seek  a better  lay.  The  next  day  we  went  down  to 
Alexandria  and  shipped  in  the  brig  Joseph,  bound  to 
Philadelphia.  At  Philadelphia,  while  we  lay  alongside  a 
wharf  at  the  foot  of  South  Street,  a fine-looking  man 
came  along  and  gave  each  man  on  board  a tract.  He 
spoke  very  kindly,  offering  some  good  advice.  Luckily, 
he  proved  to  be  an  uncle  of  mine,  and,  getting  permission 
from  the  captain,  I went  home  with  him.  Philadelphia 
is,  I believe,  called  the  City  of  Brotherly  Love.” 
I found  my  cousins  the  pleasantest  people  I had  ever 
seen.  Philadelphia  is,  in  fact,  the  most  homelike  city 
I was  ever  in,  excepting  Boston — of  course  there  is 
no  place  like  the  Hub”  to  me.  My  cousins  lived 
on  either 

“ Market,  Arch,  Race,  or  Vine, 

Chestnut,  Walnut,  Spruce,  or  Pine  ” 

Street,  I do  not  remember  which. 

I arrived  in  Boston  after  a fifteen-days’  passage,  all 
right,  and  found  all  glad  to  see  me  back  home  again. 

After  working  a short  time  in  a hook  and  eye  factory, 
and  stubbing  my  toes  against  the  pavements,  I shipped 
in  the  navy  for  the  African  station.  In  a few  days,  how- 
ever, I was  transferred  from  the  receiving- ship  Colum- 


70 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


bus  to  my  old  brig  Porpoise , Captain  Charles  Wilkes 
commander,  on  the  coast  survey.  After  surveying 
Ceorges  Banks  and  Nantucket  Shoals,  we  returned 
to  Boston.  The  day  after  our  arrival  at  the  Navy  Yard 
I was  sent  over  to  the  city  to  the  office  of  Mr.  Bowditch, 
author  of  the  American  Navigator,”  on  State  Street. 
He  said  that  our  charts  were  the  neatest  he  had  ever 
seen.  He  seemed  to  take  quite  an  interest  in  me,  and 
gave  me  some  good  advice  in  a fatherly  way,  which 
came  just  in  time,  for  I had  made  up  my  mind  that 
I would  disappoint  every  one,  and  be  somebody.  From 
here  I went  to  the  office  of  the  navy  agent,  where 
I received  a number  of  letters,  which  I put  into  my 
hat  — in  those  days  sailors  wore  tarpaulin  hats.  I had 
been  told  by  the  captain  to  hurry  and  be  quick,  and 
had  obeyed  orders  in  good  shape  so  far ; but  I could 
not  go  by  my  home  a second  time  without  stopping 
to  see  my  mother.  She  was  very  glad  to  see  me,  and 
I shall  never  forget  her  fond  embrace,  and  the  God 
bless  you,  my  darling  boy  ! ” when  I left  her.  As  I crossed 
the  bridge,  there  was  a schooner  going  through  the  draw, 
and  while  I was  waiting,  my  hat  was  knocked  over- 
board. I immediately  jumped  into  the  schooner’s 
boat  and  recovered  it,  but  of  course  the  letters  were 
wet.  I met  the  captain  near  the  dry  dock,  explained 
my  adventure,  and  told  him  how  the  letters  got  wet. 
He  gave  me  a look  dark  as  a thunder-cloud,  and  or- 
dered me  on  board.  I went  straight  to  the  landing 
where  the  boat  was,  and  the  crew  told  me  that  the 
captain  was  as/Mnad  as  a hornet.”  As  I passed 
over  the  gangway.  Lieutenant  Boyle  ordered  the  boat- 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


II 


swain  to  “ introduce  me  to  the  gunner’s  daughter.” 
I was  seized  and  placed  over  the  breech  of  a sixty-two- 
pound  Paxon  gun,  and  whipped  with  the  colt  so  se- 
verely that  I could  not  sit  down  with  any  comfort  for 
several  weeks.  The  colt  is  a piece  of  rope  about  three 
feet  long  and  half  an  inch  thick.  The  boatswain  and 
his  mates  always  carry  one  in  their  hats  for  immediate 
use.  I worked  my  right  hand  behind  me  and  received 
several  very  painful  cuts  over  the  knuckles.  All  this 
time  we  were  lying  not  more  than  a quarter  of  a mile 
in  a straight  line  from  where  my  mother  lived,  and  if 
she  had  been  at  an  open  window  at  the  front  of  the 
house  she  could  have  heard  my  piercing  cries.  On 
being  released,  I went  forward,  and  one  of  the  old  sail- 
ors set  me  on  a bucket  of  water  and  put  my  hand  into 
another.  He  said  that  would  take  out  the  soreness. 
It  was  in  the  fall  of  the  year,  and  not  very  warm.  I had 
on  a white  under- flannel,  — that  is,  it  was  white  once, — 
a blue  flannel  shirt,  and  blue  dungaree  trousers.  When 
I went  below  and  took  off  my  clothes,  I found  that  my 
trousers  had  been  cut  through,  and  threads  from  them 
were  sticking  to  my  bruised  flesh.  When  I shipped 
this  time  I had  made  up  my  mind  to  try  to  be  some- 
body and  to  get  ahead  in  the  world  ; but  now  my  hopes 
were  blasted.  My  ambition  was  gone,  yes,  whipped 
out  of  me,  — and  for  nothing.  This  has  been  the  case 
with  many  a sailor.  Among  the  letters  which  I had 
received  at  the  agent’s  were  the  sailing  orders,  which 
the  captain  expected,  and  this  was  the  reason  why  he 
was  so  anxious  for  my  return.  We  sailed  the  next  day 
for  the  south. 


12 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


After  surveying  Charleston  Harbor  and  those  of 
Darien,  New  Brunswick,  and  Savannah,  we  sailed  for 
New  York.  Our  captain  had  left  us  at  Savannah,  having 
been  ordered  to  Washington.  On  our  arrival  at  New 
York  we  were  transferred  on  board  the  receiving- ship 
Ft4lion,  and  in  a few  days  the  brig’s  crew  were  dis- 
charged. 

After  exploring  the  ^^Hook”  and  Five  Points,”  I 
returned  to  Boston,  and  found  all  at  home  well.  My 
oldest  brother  and  his  friend  Gough  were  supernumer- 
aries at  the  Lyon  Theater,  where  there  was  a circus- 
I shipped  in  the  circus.  For  a week  I was  put  through 
a regular  course  of  training  in  riding  and  tumbling.  In 
trying  to  turn  a double  back  somerset  I came  neai 
breaking  my  neck.  I rather  thought  that  I had  bettei 
quit  the  circus  before  I did  break  it.  The  ring-master  — 
his  name,  I think,  was  Stickney  — wanted  me  to  stay,- 
and  so  did  the  old  clown ; but  after  thinking  it  all  over, 
I gave  up  the  idea  of  being  a rider  and  tumbler,  and 
left  the  circus. 

My  brother  Thomas,  who  was  a little  older  than  I, 
lived  on  a farm  in  old  Concord.  I visited  him  for  a 
few  days,  and  had  a very  lively  time,  but  have  always 
regretted  one  thing  — that  I influenced  him  to  run 
away.  I planned  the  whole  thing,  set  the  time,  and 
thought  he  would  run  away  that  night,  but  he  said  no, 
he  wanted  to  go  over  to  Carlisle  the  next  day.  Now 
I do  not  think  any  one  could  guess  why  he  wished  to 
go  over  to  Carlisle.  It  seems  he  had  heard  that  there 
was  an  Irishman  in  that  town,  and,  as  he  had  never 
seen  one,  thought  he  would  improve  the  opportunity. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


for  he  would  probably  see  nothing  of  the  kind  in  Boston. 
No  one  in  those  days  was  spoken  of  as  an  Irishman,  a 
Frenchman,  a Norwegian,  or  an  Italian,  but  simply  as 
a foreigner.”  Almost  every  one  who  wore  whiskers 
wore  a pair,  one  on  each  side  of  the  face,  or  a full  beard 
all  around.  The  mustache,  imperial,  and  goatee  are 
foreign  importations.  A young  Boston  dandy  who 
wanted  to  appear  outlandish  raised  a mustache.  When 
next  he  visited  a country  village,  a good  farmer’s  wife 
laid  her  hands  carefully  on  his  clothes  to  see  if  they 
were  homespun.  Finding  that  they  were  not,  she  asked 
him  if  he  was  a furriner.”  He  told  her  that  he  was 
no  foreigner,  but  a Boston  boy.  What  on  airth  do 
you  wear  that  bunch  of  hair  on  your  upper  lip  for?” 
inquired  the  good  woman. 

In  those  days  we  burned  whale  oil  in  our  lamps,  and 
built  fires  in  good  old-fashioned  open  fireplaces. 
There  were  no  stoves  or  coal  oil.  We  made  our  own 
matches,  and  struck  fire  with  flint  and  steel  in  the  old- 
fashioned  tinder-box.  A familiar  byword  was,  A smok- 
ing chimney,  a scolding  wife,  and  green  wood  to  burn.” 
Most  men  wore  leather  straps  to  keep  their  trousers 
down,  and  leather  stocks  to  keep  their  dickies  up. 
The  women  used  to  wear  moccasin  hoods  and  calashes. 
Almost  every  man  wore  boots,  up  to  the  time  of  the  Re- 
bellion ; now  nearly  all  wear  shoes.  In  the  good  old 
days  gone  by,  when  people  paid  their  grocery  bills  a 
glass  of  black  strap  was  given  to  the  old  man,  a couple 
of  nutmegs  to  the  old  lady,  and  a stick  of  peppermint 
candy  was  added  for  the  baby. 


CHAPTER  II. 


W iTH  the  characteristic  restlessness  of  a sailor,  I could 
not  remain  long  at  home,  and  in  a few  days  I had 
shipped  again  in  the  navy,  this  time  for  the  Mediterra- 
nean station. 

“ Plow  I love  the  blue  waters ! Their  deep,  maddening  roar 
Is  food  for  the  spirit  unbounded  by  shore. 

Thy  whirlwinds  may  shriek,  thy  lightnings  may  flash. 

Yet  safe  o’er  thy  bosom,  old  Ocean,  I’ll  dash.” 

I was  first  sent  to  New  York  with  a draft  of  men 
to  join  the  receiving- ship  Fulton.  In  a few  days,  how- 
ever, I was  transferred  to  the  brig  Porpoise,  Captain 
C.  Ringold  commander,  and  we  sailed  the  next  week 
for  Norfolk,  Va.  Here  we  joined  the  exploring  expedi- 
tion just  setting  out  on  a voyage  of  discovery  round  the 
world.  This  was  the  first  and  only  expedition  sent  out 
by  the  United  States,  and  such  a chance  to  visit  the 
various  quarters  of  this  huge  globe  was  never  offered  be- 
fore or  since.  I liked  our  captain  very  much.  He 
treated  the  crew  like  men ; and  as  for  the  brig,  she 
looked  more  rakish  than  ever,  and  I must  acknowledge 
that  I was  more  than  ever  in  love  with  her.  The 
squadron  consisted  of  the  sloop- of- war  Vincennes,  the 
flag-ship,  Charles  Wilkes  commander ; the  sloop-of-war 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


^5 


Peacock^  Captain  William  L.  Hudson ; the  ship  Reliefs 
Captain  A.  K.  Long ; the  brig  Porpoise,  Captain  C. 
Ringold ; the  schooner  Sea  6’////,  Captain  Reed;  the 
schooner  Flying  Fish,  Captain  Samuel  R.  Knox ; to- 
gether with  a full  corps  of  scientific  men,  consisting  of 
philologists,  naturalists,  mineralogists,  conchologists,  bot- 
anists, horticulturists,  taxidermists,  draughtsmen,  etc., 
and  a complement  of  six  hundred  and  eighty- seven 
men.  The  entire  equipment  of  the  squadron  was  gen- 


DEPA.RTURE  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 


erous  and  complete,  and  could  not  but  reflect  honor 
upon  the  nation  whose  public  spirit  could  thus  plan 
and  execute  a noble  project  the  value  of  which  to  the 
cause  of  science  could  not  easily  be  estimated. 

Everything  being  ready,  we  dropped  down  to  Hamp- 
ton Roads.  Commodore  Wilkes  inspected  all  the  vessels 
and  their  crews.  As  he  passed  me  at  muster,  old 
Adam  ” came  up,  and  I could  not  raise  my  eyes  from 
the  deck,  for  it  was  Commodore  AVilkes  at  whose  com- 
mand I had  been  flogged.  The  following  day  we  were 


1 6 Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 

honored  by  a visit  from  the  President  of  the  United 
States,  Martin  Van  Buren,  and  his  cabinet.  All  the 
vessels  had  their  yards  manned,  and  a national  salute  was 
fired.  The  next  day,  the  1 7th  of  August,  1838,  a gun  was 
fired,  and  signals  were  made  that  the  squadron  was  under 
sailing  orders.  Soon  after,  the  commodore’s  gig  came 
alongside,  bringing  orders  for  me  with  my  bag  and 
hammock.  It  seemed  to  me  that  I should  sink  through 
the  deck.  I felt  more  like  jumping  overboard  than 
sailing  with  my  worst  enemy,  and  one  on  whom  I had 
sworn  to  be  revenged.  I begged  Captain  Ringold  to 
let  me  remain  on  board  the  brig.  He  said  he  wanted 
me  to  stay,  but  that  he  must  obey  orders,  and  told  me 
to  get  into  the  boat.  As  we  neared  the  ship,  another 
gun  was  fired,  and  signals  were  made  for  the  squadron 
to  get  under  way.  Shortly  after  we  arrived  on  board, 
the  capstan  was  manned,  the  anchor  catted,  and  we 
were  soon  off,  with  an  ebb  tide  and  a light  air 
from  the  sou’west.  At  five  p.  m.  we  anchored  at  the 
Horseshoe,  in  consequence  of  its  falling  calm,  but  at 
nine  a.  m.  the  wind  freshened,  and  we  tripped  and 
stood  down  the  bay.  At  four  p.  m.  on  the  19th  we 
passed  Cape  Henry  Light,  and  at  nine  a.  m.  we  dis- 
charged our  pilot  and  took  our  departure.  This  being 
Sunday,  at  six  bells  a.  m.  all  hands  were  called  to  mus- 
ter, and  Divine  service  was  performed  by  our  chaplain, 
Mr.  Elliot.  He  preached  earnestly  about  the  dangers 
and  length  of  the  voyage,  and  the  probability  that  all 
of  us  might  not  live  to  return  to  our  native  land,  then 
sinking  from  view.  He  spoke  of  God  and  his  goodness, 
and  reminded  us  that  his  all-seeing  eye  was  ever  upon 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


n 


US,  whether  at  sea  or  on  dry  land.  Every  one  looked 
solemn.  Thoughtless  as  I was  at  that  time,  I yet  felt  great 
reverence  for  the  Supreme  Being,  and  always  doffed  my 
hat  before  eating  my  meals.  At  the  end  of  the  service, 
each  mess  was  given  a Bible  and  a Prayer  Book. 

The  day  was  indeed  beautiful,  with  a light  breeze, 
and  the  squadron  was  in  company.  I said  that  the 
crew  looked  sober.  I know  that  many  of  them  felt  sad. 
Some  of  them  had  shipped  for  this  expedition  soon  after 
the  act  was  passed  by  Congress  authorizing  it  to  be  fit- 
ted out,  in  the  year  1836.  Others  had  shipped  for  vari- 
ous stations,  and  had  been  for  over  a year  on  board  the 
frigate  Macedonian,  under  Commodore  Jones  and  other 
commanders,  to  take  off  the  rough.  A few  days  before 
we  left  Norfolk  the  commodore  had  given  all  hands  a day’s 
liberty  on  shore  ; still,  many  felt  very  sad  at  having  laid 
at  anchor  a year  without  visiting  home  or  seeing  any  of 
their  dear  ones.  Though  Jack  is  a hand  before  the 
mast,  he  is  a fellow-man  with  rights  and  feelings,  and 
they  should  be  respected  by  a generous  government 
such  as  ours. 

This  was  the  first  full-rigged  ship  I had  ever  sailed  in, 
and  it  appeared  different  from  all  my  other  sea  homes, 
which  had  been  sloops,  schooners,  and  brigs.  In  the 
first  place,  we  had  three  decks  — the  spar  deck,  gun 
deck,  and  berth  deck.  Then,  too,  the  crew  was  so 
large  — two  hundred.  We  were  divided  into  sixteen 
messes,  twelve  men  in  a mess.  I was  in  one  of  the 
petty  officer’s  messes.  Each  mess  was  provided  with  a 
piece  of  canvas,  — which,  when  spread  on  deck,  served  as 
a table-cloth,  — a large  tin  pail  and  pan,  and  two  wooden 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


i8 


kids  or  little  tubs,  with  brass  hoops.  We  each  furnished 
ourselves  with  a tin  pot,  pan,  and  spoon,  likewise  our 
small  stores,  such  as  tea,  sugar,  pepper,  soap,  etc. , not 
forgetting  our  tobacco,  all  our  clothing,  with  needle, 
thread,  and  wax.  We  drew  on  the  purser  for  these 
things,  and  they  were  charged  to  our  accounts.  We 
were  also  divided  into  watches  — starboard  and  larboard 
— and  stationed  in  different  parts  of  the  ship,  — some  on 
the  forecastle,  some  in  the  fore,  main,  and  mizzen  tops, 
and  some  in  the  waist  and  after-guard.  I was  one  of 
the  forties,  that  is,  the  never-sweats,”  — a mizzen-top 
man.  I liked  my  station,  the  ship’s  officers,  and  the 
crew;  but  the  captain  ! — when  I saw  him,  it  made  me 
revengeful,  and  I felt  as  if  the  evil  one  had  taken 
possession  of  me.  I only  wished  I could  forget  the  past, 
and  that  it  might  not  so  constantly  haunt  me. 

It  was  now  the  2 2d  of  August.  We  were  in  the  Gulf 
Stream,  — 

“Where  the  lightnings  gleam 
And  Boreas  blows  his  blast.” 

For  several  days  the  weather  had  been  lovely.  The 
squadron  sailing  in  line,  free  communication  was  had 
between  the  ships.  In  case  of  separation,  we  were  to 
rendezvous  at  Madeira.  On  the  eve  of  the  2 2d  we  had 
a most  beautiful  sunset  and  moonrise.  It  was  a glorious 
sight  to  see  the  sun  dipping  beneath  the  waves  of  the 
ocean  in  the  west,  and  to  see  at  the  same  time  the  moon 
rise  out  of  the  waters  in  the  east.  Try  to  picture  the 
scene,  kind  reader,  I cannot  describe  it.  The  sea  is 
indeed  a fit  place  for  contemplating  the  majesty  and 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


19 


power  of  the  Almighty,  — Where  the  air  is  calm,  where 
sleep  the  deep  waters.”  The  scenery  of  the  heavens 
and  of  the  sea  was  magnificent,  the  former  covered  with 
those  peculiar  clouds  called 

“ Mackerel  skies  and  mares’  tails, 

The  signs  of  sweet  and  pleasant  gales.” 

The  sea  was  as  smooth  as  a mirror  through  the  night. 
Nothing  seemed  to  disturb  its  peaceful  bosom,  except 
now  and  then  some  huge  monster  of  the  deep  or  the 
gleaming  of  a shark’s  fin. 

On  the  25  th  we  set  our  course  towards  Madeira. 
For  several  days  the  weather  was  fine.  On  the  29th 
we  crossed  the  Tropic  of  Cancer,  longitude  4°  west,  at 
eight  bells  — twelve  o’clock  midnight.  I had  just  relieved 
the  lookout  on  the  lee  quarter.  Except  for  a slight  roll  of 
the  ship,  silence  reigned  supreme.  I am  now  about  to  re- 
veal a secret  that  has  been  smothered  in  my  breast  for 
fifty  long  years.  Would  to  God  I could  blot  it  from 
my  memory  ! Through  all  these  years  it  has  been 
known  to  none  save  myself  and  to  Him  whose  all-seeing 
eye  is  ever  upon  us.  As  I was  looking  down  the  cabin 
skylight,  I saw  Commodore  Wilkes,  the  man  who  had 
ordered  me  to  be  flogged,  sitting  at  a table  tracing  out 
a chart.  I remembered  my  oath,  and  even  then  felt  the 
sting  of  the  boatswain’s  colt.  I realized  the  situation, 
and  the  devil  took  possession  of  me.  I watched  my 
opportunity,  and  as  the  officer  of  the  deck  walked  for- 
ward I grabbed  an  iron  belaying-pin  from  the  rack.  In 
an  instant  it  was  suspended  over  the  commodore’s  head, 
while  I paused  a moment,  waiting  for  the  ship’s  weather 


20 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


roll.  At  that  instant  I saw,  or  fancied  I saw,  the  up- 
turned face  of  my  mother.  My  God  ! what  does  this 
mean?”  I gasped  under  my  breath.  The  belaying-pin 
was  soon  replaced  in  the  rack,  but  it  seemed  to  me  that 
I had  a death  grip  upon  it.  It  was  some  time  before  I 
could  take  my  hand  from  it.  I felt  as  if  I had  com- 
mitted the  act,  and  were  a criminal  in  thought,  if  not  in 
deed.  If  I looked  down  into  the  blue  sea  or  up  into 
the  depths  of  blue  above,  there  I saw  the  face  of  my  j 
mother.  I was  only  consoled  by  knowing  that  I had  a 
forgiving  Father.  The  awful  suspense  was  broken  by  the 
officer  of  the  deck  singing  out  through  his  speaking- 
trumpet,  bright  lookout  fore  and  aft!”  Ay,  ay, 
sir  ! ” was  responded  by  the  lookout  from  the  fore-yard 
forecastle,  weather  and  lee  bows,  gangway,  and  quarters. 

At  eight  bells — four  a.  m.  — the  watch  was  relieved 
and  I went  below,  but  not  to  sleep.  My  mind  was  in 
a terrible  turmoil.  At  sunrise  the  lookout  from  the 
fore-topsail  yard  reported  a wreck. 

Where  away?”  was  the  cry. 

^^Two  points  on  the  weather  bow,”  came  the  answer, 
which  created  considerable  excitement  on  board. 

We  stood  for  what  we  supposed  to  be  a wreck  with 
the  mast  gone.  It  proved,  however,  to  be  a large  cot- 
tonwood tree,  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  long  and 
fourteen  feet  in  circumference.  It  had  been  in  the 
water  a long  time  and  was  covered  with  barnacles,  and 
a large  number  of  dolphins  and  deep-sea  sharks  were 
swimming  about  it.  It  was  probably  thousands  of  miles 
from  the  spot  where  it  grew  on  the  banks  of  the  Miss- 
issippi. In  rough  weather  it  might  easily  have  been 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


21 


mistaken  for  rocks.  There  is  little  doubt  that  many  of 
the  numerous  reefs  on  our  charts  have  as  little  reality 
as  our  supposed  wreck.  I recall  that  a few  days  be- 
fore we  sailed  for  Georges  Banks,  the  Banks  were  re- 
ported to  be  out  of  water  by  several  inward- bound  ves- 
sels. While  surveying  them  we  ran  afoul  of  one  of  the 
largest  dead  whales  I ever  saw.  It  measured  ninety- 
three  feet  in  length,  and  was  covered  with  barnacles. 
It  had  drifted  in  a tide-rip  about  a mile  long,  and  in  a 
storm  it  might  easily  have  been  mistaken  for  a sand-bar 
or  a reef.  Probably  this  whale  and  the  seaweed  had 
been  thought  to  be  the  exposed  Bank ; but  the  Bank  was 
not  exposed,  for  the  shoalest  water  we  obtained  on  the 
Banks  at  that  time  was  three  fathoms. 

September  the  9th  being  Sunday,  all  hands  were 
called  to  Divine  service.  The  sermon  from  our  chaplain 
was  a discourse  upon  profane  language.  Such  services 
called  to  mind  scenes  of  the  past,  and  awakened  the 
better  feelings  of  our  natures.  On  the  afternoon  of  the 
loth  the  man  at  the  mast-head  reported  land,  which 
proved  to  be  the  Peak  of  Pico,  one  of  the  Western 
Islands.  On  the  following  day  we  made  the  northern 
coast  of  St.  Michael’s,  belonging  to  the  same  group,  a 
high  and  mountainous  island,  but  exceedingly  fertile,  and 
dotted  with  valleys,  groves,  and  cultivated  fields,  which 
could  be  seen  from  the  ship’s  deck.  For  several  days 
we  were  favored  with  fine  weather  and  fair  breezes,  and 
were  making  rapid  progress  toward  the  place  of  des- 
tination. On  the  15th,  while  he  was  setting  the  mainto’- 
gallant-sail  over  a single  reef  topsail,  George  Porter,  one 
of  the  maintop  men,  met  with  an  accident.  In  loosing 


22 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


the  sail,  the  buntline  in  some  way  got  a couple  of  half 
hitches  around  his  neck,  and  when  we  hoisted  the  sail 
we  dragged  him  over  the  yard.  Here  he  was  seen  to 
hang  nearly  lifeless,  his  tongue  protruding  from  his  mouth. 
As  he  swung  there  by  the  neck,  two  men  ran  aloft  to 
his  assistance,  and  it  became  doubtful  on  deck  whether 
all  three  would  not  be  dragged  over  by  the  weight  of 
his  body.  A breathless  anxiety  held  us  all,  as  we  stood 
in  momentary  expectation  of  seeing  a fellow-being  dashed 
to  the  deck.  Finally  others  gave  assistance,  and  he  was 
lowered  and  brought  to  the  deck  still  alive.  He  soon  re- 
covered his  senses,  and  recollecting  that  the  drum  had 
rolled  to  grog  just  before  his  accident,  he  asked,  sailor- 
like, for  his  share  of  it.  This  was  truly  a narrow  escape, 
but,  however,  poor  George  was  not  destined  to  live  out 
the  voyage.  He  died  on  our  way  home,  in  the  China 
Seas,  from  the  black  vomit. 

On  the  1 6th  of  September  the  tall  cliffs  and  jagged 
outlines  of  the  island  of  Madeira  were  discerned  loom- 
ing up  above  the  water  to  the  south.  We  soon  doubled 
Estrouga  Pass,  a prominent  landmark  for  mariners  while 
making  the  island.  It  is  nearly  sixteen  hundred  feet 
above  the  sea-level,  and  can  be  seen  at  a great  distance. 
It  is  the  home  of  the  osprey  and  the  sea-gull.  At  six 
o’clock  we  dropped  anchor  in  Funchal  Roads,  near  the 
town.  We  were  soon  visited  by  the  American  consul, 
who  often  came  on  board. 

While  lying  here,  we  went  on  shore  with  the  survey- 
ing party  and  witnessed  the  method  of  manufacturing 
the  famous  Madeira  wine.  Although  a description  may 
not  add  a relish  to  one’s  cup,  I will  give  it  here  as 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast.  25 


I saw  it.  A rude  box  or  vat,  about  twelve  feet  square 
and  two  feet  deep,  was  filled  with  grapes.  Then  an  old 
man,  an  old  woman,  two  dirty  looking  boys  and  girls, 
and  two  black  boys  stepped  into  the  tub,  the  latter  hav- 
ing the  blackest  faces  I ever  saw,  and  I have  seen  a 
great  many.  There  was  a striking  contrast  between 
their  faces  and  their  large,  handsome  ivory  teeth  and  the 
whites  of  their  eyes.  While  stamping  the  juice  out  of 
the  grapes,  they  would  sing  and  thrust  their  hands  into 
their  hair,  scratching  their  heads  furiously.  From  their 
appearance  I do  not  imagine  that  they  knew  what  a 
comb  was.  It  was  a very  warm  day,  and  they  exerted 
themselves  so  violently  that  the  perspiration  fairly 
streamed  from  them.  Their  only  articles  of  clothing 
were  dirty,  ragged  shirts.  I was  astonished  and  dis- 
gusted, especially  at  the  appearance  of  the  two  black 
boys,  who  looked  as  if  they  had  been  parboiled.  After 
the  grapes  had  been  sufficiently  trodden  out,  the  tired 
laborers  sat  down,  one  after  another,  on  the  edge  of  the 
vat,  while  the  old  man  scraped  their  legs  and  feet,  com- 
mencing with  the  old  lady.  It  takes  about  two  bushels 
of  grapes  to  produce  one  gallon  of  wine.  Madeira  wine, 
once  shipped,  can  never  again  be  introduced  into  the 
islands.  This  recalls  one  of  my  early  voyages  to  the 
West  Indies.  We  went  out  with  a cargo  of  New  England 
rum,  and  returned  with  the  same  rum,  which  was  sold  at 
a high  price  as  real  old  Jamaica. 

The  Madeira  Islands  belong  to  Portugal,  and  have  a 
population  of  about  one  hundred  thousand  inhabitants, 
including  the  blacks.  The  houses  of  the  working  people 
would  here  be  called  huts.  They  are  composed  of 


^4 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


walls  of  stone  about  five  feet  high,  with  the  roof  rising 
from  all  sides  to  a pole.  They  are  thatched  with  broom, 
and  contain  only  one  room.  There  is  no  need  of  a 
chimney,  as  a fire  is  seldom  required.  The  women 
wear  bodices  and  very  short  petticoats.  They  have 
shoes  and  stockings,  but  only  put  them  on  when  they 
wish  to  appear  fine,  usually  going  barefoot.  The  chil- 
dren are  poorly  clad.  They  have  but  one  garment,  and 
that  is  often  ragged  and  dirty.  The  men  wear  trousers 
that  reach  to  the  knees,  with  a shirt  or  jacket  of  gaudy 
colors.  For  a head-dress,  both  sexes  wear  funnel-shaped 
caps  of  cloth,  tied  under  the  chin  with  a string. 

Here  in  this  delightful  climate  grow  all  varieties  of 
fruits,  such  as  oranges,  citrons,  lemons,  bananas,  plan- 
tains, figs,  pomegranates,  apples,  currants,  pears,  plums, 
peaches,  melons,  tomatoes,  and  the  egg-plant.  Here, 
on  the  summit  of  the  mountains,  flourishes  the  potato, 
solitary  and  alone.  While  anchored  here,  our  ship  was 
well  supplied  with  plenty  of  fresh  beef,  vegetables  and 
fruits  of  all  kinds.  I suppose  there  is  no  place  in  the 
known  world  which  produces  finer  beef,  fruit,  and  vege- 
tables than  this  island.  While  here,  some  of  the  ofiflcers, 
scientific  men,  and  some  of  the  crew  were  busily  en- 
gaged surveying  the  island  and  learning  the  manners 
and  customs  of  the  natives.  This  was  done  in  all  the 
places  that  we  visited.  The  mountain  paths  we  trav- 
eled in  our  surveying  expeditions  were  almost  impassable. 
In  inany  places  our  mountain  ponies  were  compelled 
to  leap  from  rock  to  rock,  frequently  at  an  angle  of 
forty-five  degrees  with  the  horizon.  In  passing  through 
Machico  we  visited  a small  church,  said  to  have  been 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


25 


erected  over  the  graves  of  two  lovers,  Anne  d’Arfet  and 
Robert  Machim.  The  story  of  their  love  and  suffering 
has  long  since  been  classed  among  legends,  though  it 
is  still’' credited  in  Madeira.  As  the  adventures  of  this 
hero  and  heroine  are  supposed  to  have  led  to  the  dis- 
covery of  the  islands,  it  may  be  well  to  give  them  a 
place  here. 

During  the  reign  of  King  Edward  III.  of  England, 
Robert  Machim,  an  English  gentleman,  became  the 
lover  of  the  beautiful  Anne  d’Arfet.  It  was  long  before 
their  mutual  attachment  was  discovered  ; but  when  at 
length  it  became  known,  Machim’s  imprisonment  was 
procured  by  the  influence  of  Anne’s  family,  to  punish 
him  for  his  presumption  in  aspiring  to  the  hand  of  one 
so  much  above  his  rank.  During  his  confinement,  Anne 
d’Arfet  had  been  forced  into  a marriage  with  a noble- 
man who  imprisoned  her  in  his  castle  near  Bristow.  By 
the  assistance  of  a friend,  Machim  escaped,  and  induced 
Anne  to  elope  with  him  to  seek  an  asylum  in  France. 
They  sailed  during  a storm  which  prevented  them  from 
gaining  their  intended  port.  After  many  days  of  anxi- 
ety and  suffering,  they  were  cheered  by  the  sight  of 
land  that  was  clothed  with  the  richest  vegetation  and 
with  flowers  in  profusion.  They  determined  to  disembark, 
and  found  a beautiful  climate,  while  birds  of  the  gayest 
plumage  tenanted  the  island.  After  wandering  a few 
days  in  this  paradise,  there  came  on  a violent  storm 
which  drove  the  vessel  from  the  island.  This  was  too 
great  a blow  for  the  unfortunate  Anne,  and  she  died 
soon  after  of  a broken  heart.  Robert  did  not  long  sur- 
vive her,  and  his  dying  request  was  that  he  might  be 


26 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast." 


laid  in  the  same  grave  with  her  whom  he  had  loved  not 
wisely,  but  too  well,”  in  a chapel  which  they  had  erected 
to  commemorate  their  deliverance  from  shipwreck.  This 
story  is  said  to  be  derived  from  the  account  gi\^en  by 
the  other  survivors  of  the  wreck,  who  left  the  island  and 
after  many  adventures  returned  to  their  native  land  with 
an  account  of  the  discovery  of  Madeira. 

On  the  25  th  we  weighed  anchor  and  bade  adieu  to 
the  beautiful  island.  The  weather  was  all  that  one  could 
wish,  with  a sweet  and  balmy  breeze.  At  two  bells 
— nine  o’clock  — all  hands  were  called  to  muster,  and 
many  of  the  crew  were  rated  : John  Black,  seaman,  to 
be  a boatswain’s  mate ; Jack  Bowlin,  seaman,  to  be  cap- 
tain of  the  forecastle  ; Tom  Coffin,  seaman,  to  be  captain 
of  the  maintop ; Thomas  Finer,  signal  quartermaster ; 
Samuel  Williams,  gunner’s  mate ; Samuel  Stretch,  sea- 
man, quarter  gunner ; James  H.  Gibbon,  seaman,  to  be 
coxswain ; Daniel  Banks,  ordinary  seaman,  to  be  sea- 
man ; and  so  on.  Your  humble  servant,  the  writer,  was 
raised  from  a first-class  boy  to  an  ordinary  seaman,  from 
eight  to  ten  dollars  a month,  and  that,  too,  from  the  day 
that  I shipped.  I recollect  once  arriving  at  Long  Wharf, 
Boston,  in  an  old  molasses  drogher  from  Bermuda.  The 
captain,  who  was  very  tyrannical,  abused  us  terribly, 
and  provoked  one  of  the  crew  so  that  the  man  swore 
he  would  give  him  a good  sound  thrashing  as  soon  as  we 
were  made  fast  head  and  stern.  We  had  gone  below 
to  pack  our  clothing,  when  the  captain  put  his  head  over 
the  companion-way  and  sang  out  in  a soft,  feminine  tone 
of  voice  : My  men,  I want  you  all  to  come  down  into 
my  cabin,  I have  something  for  you  all.”  We  all  went 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


27 


except  old  Jack,  the  man  who  had  been  so  angry.  The 
captain  sent  the  cook  after  him.  When  the  cook  re- 
turned, he  was  ordered  by  the  captain  to  get  half-a-dozen 
bottles  of  old  Jamaica  out  of  the  locker.  After  we  had 
spliced  the  mainbrace  ’’  several  times,  the  captain  ad- 
dressed us  in  the  following  words  : You  are  the  best 
sailor-men  that  ever  lived  in  a ship’s  forecastle,  and  I 
want  you  all  to  go  with  me  on  my  next  voyage.”  We 
all  left  the  brig  together,  and  were  soon  at  the  head  of 
the  wharf,  when  we  missed  old  Jack.  He  soon  hove  in 
sight,  however,  with  his  head  hanging  down,  looking 
very  serious  and  pale.  W^e  asked  him  what  the  matter 
was  with  him.  He  said  that  he  had  been  seriously  think- 
ing about  the  old  man.  What  of  him  ? ” we  asked. 
‘AVell,  now,  my  shipmates,  he  is  not  so  bad,  after  all, 
is  he  ? ” Just  so,  to  be  raised  from  a boy  to  a man  — 
from  eight  dollars  to  ten  — is  not  so  bad,  after  all,  is  it? 

I never  saw  the  sea  more  alive  with  its  inhabitants. 
Its  surface  seemed  to  be  covered  with  schools  of  whales, 
sharks,  flying  fish,  bonitoes,  dolphins,  and  porpoises.  We 
caught  several  of  the  latter,  and  made  a fish  or  porpoise 
dinner. 

W'eather  fair,  with  a light  wind  from  the  north,  and  a 
few  fleecy  clouds  overhead.  A very  large  water-spout 
was  seen  on  the  lee  quarter,  and  another  forming  close 
aboard.  About  half  a mile  to  leeward  we  saw  what 
looked  like  a school  of  fish,  fifty  or  sixty  feet  broad,  on 
the  surface  of  the  water.  It  soon  became  much  dis- 
turbed, and  looked  as  if  boiling.  A bluish  vapor  or 
steam  arose  from  it,  and  directly  over  it  was  a heavy 
black  cloud  resembling  a huge  balloon. 


28 


Twenty  Years  Before  ihe  Mast, 


The  lower  part  or  nozzle  of  the  balloon  cloud  was 
seen  to  descend  and  unite  with  a whirlwind  which  had 
caught  up  the  agitated  waters.  It  assumed  a trumpet 
shape,  with  the  broad  end  downwards.  Its  narrowest 
part  between  the  whirlwind  and  the  cloud  was  about 
twenty  feet  broad.  The  sun,  which  looked  like  a huge 
ball  of  fire,  was  rising  at  the  time.  There  was  quite  an 
upper  current  of  wind,  which  drove  the  balloon-shaped 
cloud  onward  and  dragged  the  whirlwind  or  lower  part 
of  the  water-spout  over  the  surface  of  the  water.  The 
sun  shining  through  the  spout  gave  it  the  appearance 
of  being  on  fire.  Vivid  flashes  of  lightning  frequently 
issued  from  the  black  cloud,  which  continued  from  the 
commencement  of  the  first  ripple  upon  the  surface  of 
the  waters  until  the  bursting  of  the  spout  half  an  hour 
later.  This  was  immediately  followed  by  a heavy 
shower  of  the  largest  raindrops  I ever  saw.  Scarcely 
a breath  of  air  stirred  to  ripf)le  the  mirror-like  expanse 
of  the  ocean,  and  the  big  drops  falling  upon  its  surface 
sparkled  like  diamonds  in  the  sun.  The  morning  dis- 
play was  followed  that  night  by  an  exhibition  of  old 
ocean’s  fireworks  that  far  excelled  the  most  brilliant  ever 
given  on  Boston  Common  on  Fourth  of  July. 

I had  often  seen  what  seemed  to  be  tiny  sparks  in  the 
wake  of  the  ship,  but  that  night  the  whole  surface  of  the 
sea  was  bespangled  with  what  seemed  like  lightning- 
bugs  or  fireflies  of  mammoth  size.  There  was  a consid- 
erable swell,  and  the  sea,  sparkling  as  it  did  in  every 
part  with  light,  was  truly  grand.  It  seemed  as  if  the  sky 
had  dropped  to  a level  with  the  ship,  and  its  bright,  glit- 
tering stars  were  rolling  about  over  the  billows.  Ihe 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


2g 


smaller  fishes  could  be  traced  by  running  lines ; while 
now  and  then  the  movement  of  some  monster  caused 
the  gleaming  light  to  extend  many  fathoms  in  every 
direction. 

After  passing  the  Canary  Islands,  we  cruised  for  reefs 
and  sunken  rocks,  reported  as  being  in  this  quarter,  the 
squadron  sailing  in  open  line.  Good  lookouts  were 
kept  at  the  mast-heads,  and  soundings  were  taken  with 
three  hundred  fathoms  of  line  every  half-hour,  but  no 
bottom  was  discovered.  There  was  sufficient  swell  to 
cause  breakers  on  any  shoal  which  rose  to  within  fifteen 
feet  of  the  surface  of  the  water.  We  sailed  over  the  lo- 
cality without  perceiving  anything  that  looked  like  shoal, 
rocks,  or  reefs.  On  the  morning  of  the  7th  of  October 
we  came  to  anchor  off  the  town  of  San  Jago,  on  one  of 
the  Cape  Verde  Islands.  They  were  discovered  in  1460 
by  the  Portuguese,  and  are  still  subject  to  Portugal. 
They  form  a group  of  twenty  islands,  and  are  sparsely 
inhabited.  The  land  is  all  mountainous,  with  scarcely 
enough  vegetation  to  support  the  people  and  their  cattle. 
The  inhabitants,  isolated  as  they  are,  with  nearly  all 
channels  of  communication  between  them  and  other 
countries  cut  off,  are  dependent  for  their  chief  means  of 
sustenance  upon  vessels  stopping  there  for  wood  and 
water.  All  trade  is  carried  on  by  barter.  From  the 
time  of  their  discovery,  these  islands  have  been  subject 
at  intervals  to  severe  drought  and  famine.  The  rain  of 
heaven  is  often  withheld  for  several  years  in  succession, 
and  at  such  times  all  the  sources  of  fertility  are  dried  up, 
and  the  people  and  cattle  perish  for  want  of  water  and 
food.  The  most  fatal  of  these  famines  occurred  in  the 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


30 


year  1832,  when  half  the  population  lost  their  lives  and 
all  the  cattle  died.  Liberal  assistance  was  rendered  by 
other  countries  as  well  as  by  our  own,  and  the  generous 
conduct  of  our  nation  is  still  remembered  among  them 
with  the  liveliest  emotions  of  gratitude. 

In  a valley  west  of  the  town,  about  half  a mile  distant 
by  the  path,  is  the  marketplace.  Here  there  is  a beau- 
tiful spring  surrounded  by  tropical  trees,  such  as  the 
cocoanut,  date,  banana,  papaya,  and  lime,  with  grapes 
and  other  fruits.  Over  the  spring  is  a thatched  roof. 
It  is  always  surrounded  by  a group  of  the  most  remark- 
able objects  in  human  shape  that  can  well  be  conceived. 
Looking  on  one  side  you  see  blind  beggars,  dirty  soldiers, 
and  naked  children ; on  the  other,  lepers,  boys  with 
monkeys,  others  with  parrots  and  fowls,  half-dressed 
women,  donkeys  no  larger  than  sheep,  driven  by  very 
large  boys,  to  say  nothing  of  numerous  persons  suffering 
from  loathsome  diseases  who  are  performing  their  ablu- 
tions. Here  were  sailors  washing,  chatting,  singing,  and 
laughing ; there  a group  of  natives  of  all  sizes,  sexes, 
colors,  and  ages,  with  turbaned  heads  and  gay-colored 
handkerchiefs.  These  latter  are  worn  in  a fashion  differ- 
ent from  what  we  are  accustomed  to.  They  are  arranged 
like  a shawl  reversed,  the  ends  hanging  down  behind, 
while  the  point  is  in  front,  and  the  breast  and  part  of 
the  face  are  covered  by  it.  Market  is  held  daily  in  the 
morning  when  any  shipping  is  in  port.  We  witnessed 
a morning  drill  of  the  recruits,  which  was  amusing.  The 
men  were  cleanly  dressed,  but  the  rattan  was  freely  used 
by  the  sergeant.  During  the  drill  he  ordered  one  of 
the  men  out  of  the  line  to  light  his  pipe. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


31 


We  weighed  anchor  on  the  nth  of  October  and  stood 
for  Patty’s  Overfalls,  as  laid  down  on  the  chart.  In  the 
afternoon  we  spoke  the  Danish  brig  Lion^  Rio  de  Janeiro. 
We  also  spoke  the  ship  Crusader^  seventy- five  days  from 
Bombay.  She  was  in  need  of  medical  aid,  and  we  sent 
a surgeon  on  board.  It  also  afforded  us  no  small  pleas- 
ure to  supply  them  with  fruit  and  vegetables.  On  the 
9th  we  reached  the  supposed  position  of  Patty’s  Over- 
falls.  We  saw  nothing  of  them,  although  we  sailed  over 
several  tide-rips.  We  sounded  every  half-hour  with  our 
deep-sea  line,  but  did  not  touch  bottom.  We  now 
cruised  for  the  Warleys.  The  English,  French,  and  other 
vessels  had  reported  shoals  off  the  African  coast.  The 
squadron  was  spread  as  before  in  open  order,  covering 
as  much  space  as  possible,  and  we  passed  over  the  local- 
ity mentioned,  but  saw  no  appearance  of  shallow  water 
or  danger  of  any  kind.  While  here  we  witnessed  a brill- 
iant display  of  falling  stars,  some  sixty  or  eighty  falling 
in  a minute.  They  were  large  and  brilliant,  and  seemed 
to  shoot  in  all  directions  from  the  constellations  of 
Gemini,  Taurus,  Orion,  Leo,  and  Pleiades.  It  was  a 
wonderful  sight. 

Nothing  more  of  importance  occurred  until  near  the 
close  of  November,  when  land  was  reported  from  the 
lookout  aloft.  In  a few  hours  we  caught  sight  of  the 
richly  variegated  tints  resting  like  a halo  over  the  tall  sum- 
mit of  Cape  Frio,  forty  miles  north  of  Rio  de  Janeiro. 
Favored  by  a light  wind  from  the  sou’east,  we  entered 
the  harbor  under  full  press  of  canvas.  As  we  proceeded, 
we  saw  our  own  flag  floating  to  the  breeze  from  the  miz- 
zen  peak  of  that  magnificent  specimen  of  naval  architec- 


52  Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


ture,  the  frigate  Tndepeiidence , Commodore  Downs  ; and 
as  we  passed  her  our  hearts  beat  to  the  tune  of  Hail 
Columbia,”  played  by  her  band.  I shall  have  little  to  say 
of  Brazil  and  the  Brazilians,  Peru  and  the  Peruvians, 
Chili  and  the  Chilians,  as  I did  of  the  slave-ships  and 
the  pirates  of  the  West  Indies,  which  are  so  familiar  to 
the  general  reader.  I shall  prefer  to  dwell  more  on  the 
sunny  islands  of  the  Pacific  and  the  frozen  regions  of 
the  Antarctic. 


CHAPTER  III. 


Rio  de  Janeiro  is  built  at  the  entrance  of  a bay  one 
hundred  miles  in  circumference,  sprinkled  here  and  there 
with  ever  green  islands.  There  the  flags  of  all  nations 
may  be  seen,  each  floating  from  a man-of-war. 
Among  other  vessels  there  was  the  English  line-of- battle- 
ship Thundef^er^  of  ninety  guns  and  a crew  of  one  thou- 
sand men.  They  usually  sang  on  board  of  her  every 
night,  and  always  wound  up  at  eight  bells  by  singing  the 
first  or  second  part  of  The  Chesapeake  and  Shannon,” 
which  was  very  aggravating  to  American  patriotism. 

The  Chesapeake  and  Shannon; 

OR, 

The  Glorious  Fight  Off  Boston  Lighthouse, 

I. 

“ She  comes,  she  comes,  in  glorious  style. 

To  quarters  fly,  ye  hearts  of  oak  ! 

Success  shall  soon  reward  our  toil,” 

Exclaimed  the  gallant  Captain  Broke. 

‘‘  Three  cheers,  my  brave  boys,  let  your  ardor  bespeak. 
And  give  them  a round  from  your  cannon. 

And  soon  they  shall  find  that  the  proud  Chesapeake 
Shall  lower  her  flag  to  the  ShannotiF' 


34 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


Lawrence,  Columbia’s  pride  and  Vjoast, 

Of  conquest  counted  sure  as  fate. 

He  thus  address’d  his  haughty  host, 

With  form  erect  and  heart  elate : 

“Three  cheers,  my  brave  boys,  let  your  courage  bespeak 
And  give  them  a taste  of  your  cannon; 

And  soon  they  shall  know  that  the  proud  Chesapeake 
Shall  ne’er  lower  a flag  to  the  Shannon^ 


Silent  as  death  each  foe  drew  nigh. 

While  lock’d  in  hostile,  close  embrace 
Brave  Broke,  with  British  seaman’s  eye. 

The  signs  of  terror  soon  could  trace. 

He  exclaim’d,  while  his  looks  did  his  ardor  bespeak : 

“ Brave  boys,  they  all  flinch  from  their  cannon; 
Board,  board,  my  brave  messmates;  the  proud  Chesa- 
peake 

Shall  soon  be  a prize  for  the  Shannon,^"* 


Swift  flew  the  word  — Britannia’s  sons 

Spread  death  and  terror  where  they  came; 

The  trembling  foe  forsook  their  guns. 

And  called  aloud  on  Mary’s  name. 

Brave  Broke  led  the  way,  but  fell,  wounded  and  weak. 
But  exclaim’d  : “They  have  fled  from  their  cannon ; 
Three  cheers,  my  brave  seamen,  the  proud  Chesapeake 
Has  lower’d  her  flag  to  the  Shattnon''’ 

The  day  was  won,  but  Lawrence  fell; 

He  closed  his  eyes  in  endless  night; 

And  oft  Columbia’s  sons  will  tell 

Of  hopes  all  blighted  in  that  fight. 

But  brave  Captain  Broke,  though  wounded  and  weak. 
Survived,  again  to  play  his  cannon; 

And  his  name  from  the  shores  of  the  wide  Chesapeake 
Shall  resound  to  the  banks  of  the  Shannon. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


i5 


II. 

At  Boston,  one  day, 

As  the  Chesapeake  lay, 

The  captain  and  crew  thus  began  on : 

“ See  that  ship  out  at  sea ! 

She  our  prize  soon  shall  be, 

’ Tis  the  tight  little  frigate,  the  Shannon. 
How  I long  to  be  drubbing  the  Shannon^ 
Oh  ! ’twill  be  a good  joke 
To  take  Commodore  Broke, 

And  add  to  our  navy  the  Shannon.'' 


Then  he  made  a great  bluster. 

Calling  all  hands  to  muster. 

And  said:  “Now,  boys,  stand  firm  to  your  cannon; 
Let  us  get  under  way. 

Without  further  delay. 

And  capture  the  insolent  Shannon. 

We  shall  soon  bear  down  on  the  Shannon; 

The  Chesapeake' s prize  is  the  Shannon; 

Within  two  hours  ’ space. 

We  ’ll  return  to  this  place. 

And  bring  into  harbor  the  Shannon!" 


Now  alongside  they  range 
And  broadsides  they  exchange. 

But  the  Yankees  soon  flinch  from  their  cannon: 
When  captain  and  crew. 

Without  further  to-do. 

Are  attacked  sword  in  hand  from  the  Shannon; 
And  the  tight  little  tars  of  the  Shannon 
Fir’d  a friendly  salute. 

Just  to  end  the  dispute. 

And  the  Chesapeake  struck  to  the  Shannon. 


36  Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


Let  America  know 
The  respect  she  should  show 
To  our  national  flag  and  our  cannon; 

And  let  her  take  heed, 

That  the  Thames  and  the  Tweed 
Give  us  tars  just  as  brave  as  the  Shannon. 

Here’s  to  Commodore  Broke  of  the  Shannon^ 

To  the  sons  of  Thames,  Tweed,  and  Shannon: 

May  the  olive  of  peace 
Soon  bid  enmity  cease. 

From  the  Chesapeake’s  shores  to  the  Shannon ! 

One  night  Commander  Wilkes  happened  to  appear 
on  deck  just  as  they  were  singing  the  obnoxious  song, 
which  seemed  to  annoy  him  extremely.  I v/ill  do  him 
the  justice  to  say  that,  with  all  his  faults,  he  was  a true 
American,  and  loved  dearly  the  old  flag.  One  of  the 
crew  went  aft  and  asked  him  if  we  might  return  that 
song  next  Saturday  evening  by  giving  them  The  Par- 
liaments of  England.”  ‘^Yes,  my  man,”  was  the  reply, 
and  give  it  to  them  in  thunderous  tones,  with  plenty  of 
Yankee  lightning.”  Fifty  of  the  best  singers  began  to 
practice,  and  on  the  next  Saturday  evening,  just  as  the 
crew  on  board  of  the  Thunderer  had  finished  singing 
their  usual  song,  our  chorus  commenced  : 

The  Parliaments  of  England. 

Ye  Parliaments  of  England,  ye  Lords  and  Commons  too. 

Consider  well  what  you’re  about  and  what  you  mean  to  do. 

P'or  you’re  now  at  war  with  Yankees,  and  Pm  sure  you’ll  rue  the  day 
You  first  roused  the  Sons  of  Liberty  in  North  America. 

You  thought  our  frigates  were  but  few,  and  Yankees  could  not  fight. 
Until  bold  Hull  the  Guerriere  took,  and  banished  her  from  sight. 
The  Wasp  next  took  your  Frolic.  You  nothing  said  to  that. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


37 


The  Protectress  being  off  the  line,  of  course  you  took  her  back. 

Oh,  then  your  Alacedonian!  No  finer  ship  could  swim, — 

Decatur  knocked  her  gilt  work  off,  and  then  he  towed  her  in. 

Then  you  sent  your  Boxer,  to  box  us  all  about. 

But  we  had  an  enterprising  brig  that  beat  your  boxer  out. 

And  boxed  her  up  to  Portland,  and  moored  her  off  the  town 
To  show  the  Sons  of  Liberty  the  Boxer  of  renown. 

Then  upon  Lake  Erie  brave  Perry  had  some  fun,  — 

You  owned  he  beat  your  naval  force  and  caused  them  all  to  run. 
Then  upon  Lake  Champlain,  the  like  ne’er  known  before, 

A British  squadron  beat  complete,  some  took,  some  run  ashore. 
Then  your  Indian  allies,  — you  styled  them  by  the  name 
Until  they  turned  the  tomahawk,  then  savages  they  became, — 

Your  mean  insinuations  despising  from  their  hearts. 

They  joined  the  Sons  of  Liberty  and  acted  well  their  parts. 

Go  tell  your  king  and  parliament  — by  all  the  world  ’tis  known  — 
That  what  you  gained  by  British  force  the  Yankees  have  o’erthrown. 

It  was  sung  with  such  a will  that  it  re-echoed  through- 
out the  silent  bay  and  made  the  welkin  ring.  We  soon 
heard  the  call  of  the  boatswain  followed  by  his  mates, 
calling  all  hands  to  cheer  ship,  and  then  we  were  given 
three  times  three,  from  the  one  thousand  voices  on  board 
the  ninety-gun  ship. 

While  on  shore  one  day  with  one  of  my  messmates, 
an  old  privateersman,  we  were  taken  in  tow  by  a mighty 
clever  man,  who  treated  us  several  times,  and  finally 
coaxed  us  on  board  his  brig.  He  tried  to  persuade  us 
to  desert  our  ship,  and  go  with  him  to  the  coast  of  Africa 
to  trade  for  gold  dust  and  ivory.  He  took  us  down  into 
his  cabin  and  showed  us  many  tricks  of  the  trade.  Ar- 
riving on  deck  and  seeing  the  coast  clear,  I told  him  all 
the  gold  dust  was  in  his  eye  and  the  ivory  in  the  negroes’ 
mouths.  My  old  messmate  gave  me  such  a slap  on  the 


^8  Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


back  that  it  came  very  near  shivering  my  timbers. 
‘‘Well!”  said  he,  “what  sort  of  a craft  have  you  not 
sailed  in,  my  lad?” 

After  our  arrival  at  this  place,  two  slavers  were  brought 
into  port  by  an  English  man-of-war  brig.  I was  on  board 
of  one  of  them  when  they  took  off  the  hatches.  Though 
quite  a small  brig,  she  had  confined  in  her  hold  three 
hundred  negroes.  When  the  hatches  were  opened,  such 
a cloud  of  steam  and  such  a horrible  smell  issued  that  it 
staggered  everybody  on  deck.  They  found  only  thirty 
living  human  beings  out  of  three  hundred.  This  was 
only  one  of  the  many  horrors  of  the  African  slave-trade. 

Sugarloaf  Hill  is  so  called  from  its  shape.  It  is  one 
immense,  isolated  rock,  and  lifts  its  almost  perpendicular 
sides  to  the  clouds.  It  is  about  one  thousand  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  sea.  It  is  said  that  its  summit  has  been 
reached  by  only  one  person,  and  he  an  Englishman,  who 
in  triumph  planted  his  country’s  flag  and  left  it  there, 
but  was  never  seen  afterwards.  We  ascended  the  moun- 
tain for  the  purpose  of  taking  observations.  We  did 
not  reach  its  summit  till  after  dark,  so  had  to  remain 
there  all  night.  We  had  with  us  several  fathoms  of  lead 
line  with  which  we  lashed  ourselves  together,  so  that  none 
of  us  could  roll  off  while  asleep.  I have  heard  it  said 
that  a Scotch  mist  wets  an  Englishman  through  to  the 
skin,  and  that  a Peruvian  dew  wets  a true-blue  through 
as  well.  Sure  enough,  in  the  morning  we  found  our- 
selves wet  through  with  the  Sugarloaf  dew.  Up  there 
we  found  the  pitcher  plant  growing.  It  bore  a small 
flower  that  looked  just  like  a pitcher.  It  was  the  color  of 
a purple  morning-glory,  only  much  handsomer.  It  hung 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


39 


from  the  stem  of  the  plant  as  if  from  a little  handle,  while 
drop  after  drop  fell  from  its  mouth. 

While  in  this  port  we  received  a letter-bag  from  home 
by  a ship  just  from  New  York.  Bill  Roberts,  a Boston 
boy,  got  two  letters  and  read  them  to  me.  It  made  me 
feel  badly  to  hear  them,  and  I asked  him  if  he  could 
write.  Why,  I wrote  home  just  before  we  sailed  from 
Old  Point  Comfort,  and  then  again  from  Madeira,”  said 
he.  Without  saying  another  word,  I went  down  to  the 
berth  deck  into  the  yeoman’s  storeroom,  and  told  him 
that  I wanted  to  learn  to  write.  He  made  some  straight 
marks  and  some  that  were  not  straight  on  a piece  of 
paper,  and  told  me  to  copy  them  in  ship-shape  fashion. 
I did  copy  them  every  chance  I got.  Finally  I began  to 
think  it  very  silly  to  continue  making  those  straight 
marks,  so  I asked  the  yeoman  one  day  to  write  as  plainly 
as  he  could  the  word  mother,”  which  he  did.  I went 
to  work  copying,  and  covered  many  fathoms  of  paper 
with  that  precious  name. 

The  palace  of  the  Emperor  Dom  Pedro  was  in  full 
view  from  our  ship.  The  fact  that  it  was  a palace  was 
the  only  thing  that  recommended  it  to  passing  notice. 
It  was  opposite  the  only  landing  for  boats  on  the  beach. 
On  the  emperor’s  birthday  all  the  ships  in  the  harbor 
were  decorated  with  flags,  and  at  twelve  o’clock,  noon, 
twenty-one  guns  were  fired  in  honor  of  his  attained 
majority. 

The  streets  of  Rio  Janeiro  are  long  and  very  narrow. 
Like  those  of  all  Spanish  and  Portuguese  towns,  they  are 
also  very  filthy.  The  poorer  classes  are  indeed  poor, 
while  the  condition  of  the  slaves  is  pitiable.  They  are 


40 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


driven  about  the  streets,  yoked  together  with  heavy  neck- 
laces of  iron  and  urged  on  by  a driver.  They  are  the 


only  burden-bearers,  and  outnumber  the  whites  five  to 
one. 

On  the  6th  of  January,  all  our  repairs  being  finished, 
we  dropped  down  the  harbor.  On  passing  the  frigate 
Independence  we  were  saluted  with  six  rousing  cheers, 
which  were  returned  with  a will.  We  were  favored  with 
fine  weather,  and  the  squadron  sailed  in  company.  The 
bleak  and  lofty  mountains  fast  receded  from  our  view, 
and  in  a short  time  were  swallowed  up  in  the  distance. 
The  first  part  of  this  month  was  very  pleasant,  but  we 
were  destined  to  experience  some  little  change.  The 
morning  of  the  15  th  set  in  cloudy.  At  five  bells  it  com- 
menced to  rain  smartly,  with  all  the  wind  we  wanted. 
The  wind  soon  increased  to  a gale,  and  at  ten  oTlock  all 
hands  were  called  to  close-reef  topsails.  There  was  a 
pelting  rain,  and  the  drops,  as  they  struck  on  the  backs 
of  our  hands  and  in  our  faces,  felt  like  shot. 

At  daylight  on  the  25th  Land  ho  ! ’’  was  sung  out 
from  the  mast-head,  and  at  five  o’clock  we  came  to  an- 
chor in  five  fathoms  of  water  off  Rio  Negro,  on  the  coast 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


4^ 


of  Patagonia.  Our  scientific  men  went  ashore  in  quest 
of  objects  in  their  different  departments,  and  to  see  what 


GROUP  OF  PATAGONIANS. 


curiosities  could  be  found.  The  other  officers  were  bus- 
ily engaged  in  surveying,  etc.  There  is  a considerable 
Spanish  settlement  on  this  coast,  about  twenty  miles  from 
the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  also  a village  of  about  two  thou- 
sandfinhabitants,  consisting  mostly  of  women  and  soldiers. 
When  they  saw  the  squadron  standing  in,  they  fled  into 
the  country,  mistaking  us  for  a French  fleet,  as  they  were 
at  war  with  France  at  the  time.  They  soon  found  out 
their  mistake,  however,  and  returned,  some  of  them 
minus  their  dinner,  which  they  had  left  on  their  tables 
in  their  hurry  to  escape.  This  district  of  Patagonia 
abounds  in  ail  kinds  of  game,  while  fine  horses  and  horned 
cattle  are  numerous  We  brought  off  some  armadillos 


42 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


and  some  young  ostriches  and  ostrich  eggs.  The  Pata- 
gonians are  a fine  race  of  people,  unusually  tall  and  well- 
formed. 


“ / 

PATAGONIAN  BEAUTY. 


On  the  30th  of  January  a strong  land-breeze  began  to 
blow,  which  obliged  us  to  get  under  way  and  beat  out  to 
sea.  The  weather  now  began  to  grow  cold,  the  ther- 
mometer ranging  from  50°  to  45°.  Our  ship  glided 
through  the  water  like  a thing  of  life.  For  several  days 
many  whales,  seals,  and  porpoises  showed  themselves  on 
the  surface  of  the  water.  The  porpoises  differed  from 
any  I had  ever  seen  before,  in  having  a stripe  around 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


43 


their  necks.  We  captured  several  of  them,  and  this 
made  a fresh  mess  for  all  hands  round.  The  next  night 
at  midnight  we  had  a view  of  the  rugged  peaks  of  Terra 
del  Fuego,  and  at  twelve  o’clock  we  entered  the  Straits 
of  La  Maire.  The  land  here  presents  rather  a dreary 
appearance.  The  high  peaks  on  either  hand  are  covered 
with  snow,  even  in  midsummer. 

At  sunset  we  passed  the  straits  and  again  entered  the 
open  sea.  We  doubled  Cape  Horn  in  our  shirt-sleeves, 
with  studding  sails  set  on  both  sides,  below  and  aloft, 
and  left  it  under  close-reefed  top-sails,  with  our  pea- 
jackets  on.  We  had  but  just  rounded  the  cape  and  ar- 
rived in  the  South  Pacific,  or  summer  seas,  when  the  wind 
suddenly  shifted  to  the  south,  blowing  a perfect  gale 
from  the  regions  of  perpetual  ice  and  snow.  The  change 
of  temperature  was  sudden  and  keenly  felt,  and  made  us 
hug  our  pea-jackets  closely  about  us.  Such  is  the  life  of 
a sailor — from  one  extreme  to  another.  Cape  Horn  is 
in  latitude  55°  48'  south,  and  sometimes  vessels  are 
driven  as  far  as  60°,  in  order  to  get  round  into  the  Pa- 
cific. Cape  Horn  is  called  the  stormy  cape.”  It 
takes  its  name  from  the  peculiar  hornlike  shape  of  its 
rocky  mountain  heights,  which  terminate  the  land.  Be  it 
fair  or  foul,  rain  or  shine,  in  all  weather  and  at  all  sea- 
sons, Cape  Horn  is  a terror  to  the  sailor,  and  many  a 
long  yarn  is  spun  in  the  forecastle  by  poor  Jack  as  this 
much-dreaded  point  is  approached. 

On  the  1 8th  of  February  we  came  to  anchor  in  Orange 
Harbor,  Terra  del  Fuego,  or,  as  the  name  implies,  the 
‘Hand  of  fire.”  This  is  the  first  harbor  on  the  western 
side  of  Cape  Horn.  The  cape  was  discovered  by  Ma- 


44 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


gellan  in  the  year  1519.  It  was  at  this  spot  that  the 
celebrated  circumnavigators,  Captains  Cook,  King,  Fitz- 
roy,  Laplace,  d’Urville,  and  others  used  to  make  their 
rendezvous  and  lay  in  a supply  of  wood  and  water.  The 
harbor  is  land-locked,  and  is  the  safest  on  the  coast.  It 
has  many  small  bays,  the  best  of  which  is  Dingy  Cove. 
Here  boats  may  enter  to  obtain  wood,  and  from  its  banks 
game  and  fish  may  be  taken  in  great  abundance.  Every- 
thing about  has  a bleak  and  wintry  appearance  and  is  in 
keeping  with  the  climate,  yet  the  scenery  is  pleasing  to 
the  eye. 

The  2 2d  of  February  was  duly  observed  by  the  hoist- 
ing of  flags  and  splicing  the  mainbrace.”  We  had  not 
time  to  make  a holiday  of  it.  While  here  we  saw  many 
of  the  native  Fuegians.  They  are  not  more  than  five 
feet  high,  and  are  of  a light  copper-color,  but  their  orig- 
inal hue  is  almost  obscured  by  smut  and  dirt.  Their 
faces  are  short,  with  narrow  foreheads  and  high  cheek- 
bones, eyes  small  and  black,  noses  broad  and  flat,  with 
wide-spread  nostrils,  and  mouths  extremely  large.  As 
one  old  sailor  said  : They  could  not  open  them  any 
wider,  unless  the  Almighty  set  their  ears  back.”  Their 
hair  is  long  and  black,  hanging  straight  over  the  face, 
and  is  covered  with  ashes.  The  whole  face  is  compressed. 
Their  bodies  are  remarkable  for  the  great  development 
of  the  chest.  Their  arms  are  long  and  slim  ; but  their 
lower  limbs  are  small  and  ill-shaped.  There  is,  in  fact, 
no  difference  between  the  size  of  the  ankle  and  leg. 
This  want  of  development  is  owing  to  their  constant 
sitting  posture,  both  in  their  huts  and  canoes.  It  is  im- 
possible to  imagine  anything  in  human  shape  more  filthy. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


45 


The  climate  is  always  at  freezing  point  here,  even  in 
summer,  which  lasts  through  January  and  February. 
Notwithstanding  the  severe  cold,  their  only  article  of 
dress  is  a piece  of  sealskin  worn  over  the  shoulders,  and 
this  they  change  according  to  the  way  the  wind  blows. 
They  are  very  much  pleased  at  receiving  pieces  of  red 
flannel,  which  they  prefer  torn  into  strips  rather  than 
in  the  whole  piece.  These  they  wind  around  their 
heads  in  turban  style,  and  it  is  amusing  to  see  their 
satisfaction  at  this  small  addition  to  their  wardrobe. 
The  home  of  the  Fuegian  is  in  his  small,  frail  canoe,  or 
in  his  miserable  hut,  built  from  limbs  of  trees.  The  ends 
of  these  are  bent  together  in  the  form  cf  a cone  and 
covered  well  with  seaweed.  The  floor  is  mother  earth, 
and  is  carpeted  with  some  of  the  same  seaweed  as  that 
upon  the  roof.  Their  food  consists  of  snails,  limpets, 
wild  berries,  roots,  and  shell- fish.  Sometimes  they  find 
a dead  whale  that  has  drifted  into  the  kelp ; then  they 
enjoy  a Thanksgiving  dinner.  While  we  were  on  shore 
one  of  the  natives  seemed  anxious  to  talk  with  us.  He 
pointed  to  the  sou’west  and  then  again  to  the  ship,  after 
which,  clasping  his  hands  in  the  attitude  of  prayer,  he 
said,  Eloh,  eloh,”  as  though  he  thought  we  had  come 
from  God.  One  day  a party  of  natives  came  on  board. 
They  were  highly  delighted  and  surprised  at  everything 
they  saw.  When  they  left  the  ship  most  of  them  were 
dressed  in  sailor  rig.  Jack  was  bound  to  make  every- 
thing fit.  If  a jacket  was  found  to  be  too  small,  a slit 
was  made  down  the  back.  If  a pair  of  trousers  proved 
to  be  too  small  around  the  waist,  a piece  of  spun  yarn 
remedied  the  defect.  If  the  legs  were  too  long,  the 


46  Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


sheath  knife  was  resorted  to.  Most  difficult  to  fit  was 
an  old  uniform  coat  given  to  an  old  woman.  This  she 
concluded  belonged  to  her  nether  limbs.  Her  feet  were 
thrust  through  the  armholes,  and  after  a hard  squeeze 


TERRA  DEL  FUEGIAN. 


she  succeeded  in  getting  the  sleeves  on.  The  tails  were 
then  brought  up  in  front,  and  she  took  her  place  in  the 
canoe  with  pride  and  satisfaction  amid  roars  of  laughter 
from  the  crew. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


47 


One  bean-soup  day  a canoe  came  alongside,  full  of  na- 
tives, and  I handed  them  my  tin  pan  half  full  of  soup, 
through  one  of  the  port-holes.  It  was  so  hot  that  they 
dipped  it  in  the  sea,  and  it  was  then  so  salt  they  could 
not  eat  it.  They  poured  it  overboard  and  kept  the  pan, 
and  no  signs  or  threats  would  induce  them  to  return  it ; 
so  I was  a quarter  out,  besides  my  regular  beans.  If  any 
one  on  board  had  advanced  the  idea  that  some  day  they 
would  become  civilized,  he  would  have  been  thrown 
overboard  for  a Jonah.  It  was  here  that  Father  Coyne 
first  began  his  missionary  labors.  Finding  his  efforts 
useless,  he  went  to  the  Sandwich  Islands.  The  Terra  del 
Fuegians  seem  but  little  above  the  brute  creation,  and 
are  the  lowest  in  the  scale  of  humanity.  Well  might  we 
ask  ourselves,  Who  are  these  so  haggard,  and  so  wild 
in  their  attire,  who  look  not  like  the  inhabitants  of  earth, 
and  still  dwell  on  it?” 

Having  made  preparations  for  an  Antarctic  cruise,  we 
weighed  anchor  on  the  25  th  and  put  out  to  sea.  For 
several  days  it  had  been  blowing  furiously,  with  a high 
sea  running.  This  was  a good  time  to  measure  the  height 


DIAGRAM  OF  WAVE. 

of  the  wave,  for  seldom  will  the  sea  be  observed  to  run 
higher  than  off  Cape  Horn,  where  two  oceans  meet.  To 
get  the  height  of  the  wave,  we  sighted  the  schooner  while 
in  the  trough  of  the  sea,  and  cut  the  mast  to  the  horizon 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


^8 


with  our  eye  from  the  Porpoise^  as  in  the  illustration. 
This  measurement  gave  as  a result  thirty-two  feet.  Spray 
can  dash  up  over  a hundred  feet,  but  the  waves  seldom 
run  over  thirty  odd  feet,  and  are  never  ‘‘  mountains 
high.” 

On  the  I St  of  March  we  encountered  our  first  ice- 
bergs. They  were  much  worn  by  the  action  of  the  sea 
and  frequent  storms.  The  albatross,  gray  pigeon,  and 
petrel  hovered  around,  and  could  be  seen  at  times  rest- 
ing, as  it  were,  on  the  waves.  At  noon  we  made  Ridley’s 
Islands,  and  in  the  dog-watch  sighted  Cape  Melville. 
Bearing  south  by  east,  the  north  foreland  of  King 
George’s  Island  could  be  seen.  After  cruising  for  sev- 
eral weeks  in  these  cold,  bleak,  icy  regions,  and  visit- 
ing Aspland’s,  Burgman’s,  Elephant,  Cornwallis’s,  and 
O’Brien’s  Islands,  the  Seal  Rocks,  the  South  Shetlands, 
and  Palmer’s  Land,  we  found  ourselves  in  latitude  70° 
south,  the  highest  ever  made  up  to  that  time,  and  south 
of  the  ne  plus  ultra  of  Captain  Cook.  On  the  7th  Will- 
iam Stuart,  captain  of  the  maintop  on  board  tbe  Peacock, 
fell  from  aloft  overboard.  He  was  seen  to  float  feet  up- 
ward. A bow-line  was  thrown  over  his  exploring  boots 
and  he  was  drawn  on  board  ; but  it  was  a narrow  escape, 
for  a boat  could  not  have  lived  in  such  a sea.  Poor 
William  died  soon  afterward  and  his  body  was  committed 
to  a watery  grave. 

Finding  no  passage  through  the  icy  barrier  to  the 
pole,  and  being  nearly  hemmed  in  by  those  frozen  bul- 
warks which  extended  east  and  west  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  see,  it  was  decided,  as  the  season  was  growing  late, 
to  turn  the  ship’s  head  to  the  north.  Although  the 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


49 


sun  set  bright  and  clear  at  fifteen  minutes  past  ten, 
everything  about  looked  dark,  dreary,  and  cheerless.  It 
was  bitterly  cold,  — a cold  which,  at  this  extremity  of  the 
earth,  seemed  almost  to  freeze  the  words  spoken  before 
they  could  reach  the  ear.  As  we  worked  our  passage 
through  the  field  and  drift  ice,  huge  floes,  and  lofty  ice- 
bergs, the  wild  sea-birds,  which  were  very  plenty,  and  the 
inhabitants  of  the  briny  deep  flocked  about  us  and  viewed 
us  with  their  small,  round  eyes  in  wonder  and  astonish- 
ment. After  much  suffering  and  many  narrow  escapes, 
we  returned  to  Orange  Harbor,  Terra  del  Fuego.  I 
shall  give  a fuller  account  of  this  frozen  region  in  my  d'e- 
scription  of  our  second  Antarctic  cruise,  which  we  made 
from  New  Holland  in  the  year  1840.  We  had  no  sooner 
come  to  anchor  than  we  were  visited  by  the  natives. 
They  are  great  mimics  and  are  very  fond  of  music.  Our 
fifer  played  for  them  My  Bonny  Lad,”  Sweet  Home,” 
and  ‘‘The  Girl  I Left  Behind  Me.”  They  did  not  un- 
derstand these  songs,  but  when  he  struck  up  “ The  Bon- 
nets of  Blue  ” they  were  all  immediately  in  motion, 
keeping  time  to  the  music.  They  were  entirely  naked, 
except  the  small  piece  of  sealskin  which  they  wore  over 
the  weather  shoulder.  The  only  word  they  spoke  was 
“ Yammurscunar.”  They  appeared  to  be  very  fond  of 
their  children.  Nothing  would  induce  the  women  to 
come  on  board.  They  sat  in  their  canoes  with  their  feet 
under  them,  tending  the  fire  which  may  always  be  seen 
in  the  bottom  of  the  canoes  on  a pile  of  stones  and  ashes, 
surrounded  by  water.  How  they  manage  to  make  a fire, 
I cannot  imagine,  unless  it  is  by  rubbing  two  dry  sticks 
together.  Drake  tells  us  that  they  live  in  and  paddle 


50 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


the  same  canoes  to-day  that  they  did  two  hundred  years 
ago.  These  vessels  are  made  of  bark  sewed  together 
with  shreds  of  sealskin.  They  are  very  frail  and  require 
constant  bailing.  I have  read  in  The  Missionary  Herald 
that  since  our  visit  the  Fuegians  have  become  civilLed, 
and  that  many  of  them  have  been  converted  to  the 
Christian  religion ; and  now  they  live  in  houses,  sit  at 
the  table,  and  eat  with  knives  and  forks. 

Directly  overhead  are  the  celebrated  Magellan  Clouds, 
three  in  number,  two  large  and  one  smaller.  They  are 
of  a dusky,  leaden  gray  color,  and  look  like  three  burnt 
holes  in  the  sky.  They  are  separate  from  each  other, 
though  close  together,  but  when  they  become  one,  look 
out  for  squalls  and  take  in  all  your  canvas.  We  took  our 
final  leave  of  these  dreary  regions  on  the  20th.  The 
land  had  but  just  disappeared  from  our  view,  when  we 
were  struck  by  a terrible  gale,  in  which  probably  the  Sea 
Gull  was  foundered,  and  twenty  as  noble  lads  as  ever 
trod  a ship’s  deck  found  a watery  grave.  The  Sea  Gull 
was  never  seen  or  he'ard  of  afterwards.  The  next  day 
we  passed  the  island  of  Diego  Ramieres. 

Sail,  ho  ! ” cried  the  lookout  from  aloft. 

Where  away?  ” sang  out  the  officer  of  the  deck. 

Right  ahead,”  was  the  response. 

In  a short  time  a vessel  was  seen  from  the  deck. 
She  looked  like  a very  large  ship,  broadside  on,  with 
her  foretop-gallant-mast  gone.  The  captain  sent  below 
for  his  speaking-trumpet  to  hail  her,  but  by  the  time  it 
arrived  the  stranger  had  vanished  from  sight.  This  is 
an  illusion  very  common  in  these  latitudes.  It  is  called 
by  the  sailors  the  ‘‘  Flying  Dutchman.”  This  day  might 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


5/ 


be  called  a nautical  show- day,  for  we  had  not  only  seen 
the  crew  of  the  Flying  Dutchman”  walking  her  deck, 
but  had  been  favored  with  mock  suns  and  a mirage, 
'bhe  upper  is  the  true  sun,  while  the  left-hand  and  right- 
hand  appearances  are  the  mock  suns ; but  all  these  were 
equally  bright,  and  it  was  hard  to  tell  which  was  the  true 
one.  These  illusions  continued  for  nearly  half  an  hour. 
Mock  suns,  mock  moons,  halos,  circles  and  half-circles. 


MOCK  SUNS. 


zodiacal  lights,  the  mirage,  shooting  stars,  solar  eclipses, 
gorgeous  rainbows,  the  auro7'a  aust?'alis,  and  other  rare 
and  beautiful  appearances  are  often  to  be  seen  in  these 
latitudes,  and  some  of  them  are  considered  by  the  igno- 
rant and  superstitious  natives  the  forerunners  of  war, 
famine,  or  pestilence. 

Some  little  time  after  we  had  a mirage  of  the  ship  or  a 
reflection  of  the  Peacock  presented  to  us.  There  were 
three  images  of  the  ship  in  the  air,  one  inverted,  the 


u,  OF  ILL  LIB. 


52  Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


other  two  right  side  up,  while  a fourth,  in  the  horizon, 
showed  nothing  but  the  hull  and  the  stumps  of  the  lower 


mast,  as  in  the  sketch.  On  board  the  Peacock^  at  the 
same  time,  they  had  three  reflections  of  our  ship.  Sci- 
ence tells  us  that  these  reflections  are  caused  by  concave 
surfaces  of  the  atmosphere  when  it  consists  of  warmer 
and  colder  strata.  The  ship  Relief  came  through  the 
Straits  of  Magellan  and  surveyed  them.  In  doing  so 
she  came  near  being  wrecked  off  Nor  Island,  at  which 
place  she  lost  all  her  anchors. 

On  the  1 2th  of  May,  at  daylight,  we  made  the  coast 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast,  5^ 


of  Chili.  It  was  a sublime  sight  at  sunrise  to  view  the 
lofty  peaks  of  the  Andes  Mountains,  not  more  than  sixty 
miles  distant.  The  highest  peak  is  Tupongati,  23,200 
feet  high,  which  is  at  times  an  active  volcano.  They 
are  unlike  any  mountains  I ever  saw.  They  do  not  rise 
gradually  from  the  base,  but  shoot  right  up  out  of  the 
earth.  The  fact  is,  you  can  stand  with  one  foot  on  the 


level  plain,  the  other  on  the  side  of  the  mountain.  On 
the  14th  we  sighted  the  Point  of  Angels,  and  before  sun- 
down we  dropped  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Valparaiso,  or 
‘‘Valley  of  Paradise,”  as  the  name  implies.  The  letter- 
bag  was  soon  brought  on  board,  and  its  contents  emptied 
on  the  quarter-deck  All  the  officers  received  letters, 
but  only  a dog-watch  of  the  crew,  while  all  the  rest  of 
us  were  left  out  in  the  cold.  Willie  got  his  usual  num- 
ber, and  read  them  to  me.  One  of  them  said  that  Long 


54 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


Wharf  had  not  sunk,  and  that  Chelsea  was  not  dead. 
While  here  all  hands  had  liberty  on  shore.  Of  course 
we  visited  the  fore,  main,  and  mizzen  tops,  named  after 
the  well-known  hills  on  the  south  side  of  the  fort,  where 
the  sailors  resort.  The  valley  between  the  hills  is  the 
resort  of  the  abandoned  and  the  roughs  of  Chili.  Val- 
paraiso has  twenty  thousand  inhabitants.  There  are 
many  Spaniards,  Dutch,  French,  English,  and  Indians, 
and  a few  Americans.  The  native  Chilians  are  very 
patriotic.  The  young  ladies  have  very  black,  piercing 
eyes,  and  are  quite  fond  of  music.  When  passing  the 
houses,  one  can  nearly  always  hear  them  singing.  Then 
up  will  come  a little  Chilian  girl,  with  her  field-pike  in 
her  hand,  singing,  When  Callao  is  taken,  our  sea-coast 
will  be  free.”  The  houses  are  mostly  one  story,  built  of 
sun-dried  bricks.  These  bricks  are  about  two  feet  long, 
and  one  wide,  and  are  very  rough.  They  look  like  the 
surface  of  a corn-ball.  The  walls  are  from  two  to  six 
feet  thick,  plastered  outside,  and  are  anything  but  neat 
inside. 

June  5th  we  bade  farewell  to  ‘‘Paradise  Lost”  and 
stood  out  to  sea. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


Nothing  of  importance  occurred  during  our  passage 
of  fifteen  days,  when  we  dropped  anchor  close  in  under 
the  island  of  San  Lorenzo,  Bay  of  Callao.  Here  we 
found  all  the  missing  squadron,  except  the  Sea  GulL 
The  island  of  San  Lorenzo  is  of  volcanic  origin.  There 
is  a legend  that  an  old  Peruvian  was  fishing  in  his  boat, 
when  suddenly  he  missed  the  weight  of  his  sinker. 
Thinking  some  ravenous  sea  monster  had  stolen  both  his 
bait  and  sinker,  he  commenced  hauling  in  his  line.  On 
looking  over  the  gunwale  of  his  boat  into  the  water,  he 
saw  the  bottom  of  the  sea  coming  up.  The  island  is 
said  to  have  sprung  forth  at  this  time,  and  was  named 
for  him,  San  Lorenzo.  This  happened  in  the  year 
1 740,  and  was  caused  by  an  earthquake  which  destroyed 
the  whole  city  of  old  Callao.  San  Lorenzo  is  nothing 
but  a range  of  tremendously  high  sand-hills.  Nigh 
abreast  of  where  our  ship  lay  is  a small  valley  between 
two  mountains,  where  poor  Jack  finds  a resting-place 
after  the  toils  and  troubles  of  this  life  are  o’er.  Many  a 
sailor,  cut  off  in  the  bloom  of  youth  and  prime  of  life, 
has  been  laid  to  rest  here  peacefully  and  undisturbed  ; 
and  many  a rough  board,  ay,  and  rougher  inscription, 
testifies  to  the  kind  regard  of  their  former  shipmates^ 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast 


56 


and  to  the  good  character  of  those  who  sleep  beneath 
the  drifting  sands  of  this  dreary-looking  spot.  I have 
often  wished  that^  if  I were  sick  unto  death,  some  kind 


friend  or  shipmate  would  see  that  I was  laid  in  my  last 
hammock  in  some  peaceful  vale  like  this.  A few  of  the 
inscriptions  are  as  follows  : 

In  memory  of  William  Pearce, 

A SAILOR  r.OY  ON  HOARD  THE  U.  S.  BRIG  BoXER, 

Who  died  September  the  25TH,  1838, 

Aged  16  years. 

A mother’s  eye  will  look,  but  look  in  vain. 

For  her  loved  son,  returning  from  the  main. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


57 


He  left  his  home  to  tempt  the  fickle  wave, 

And  now  reposes  in  a foreign  grave. 

Peace  to  his  soul,  ay,  everlasting  peace. 

Where  tortures  come  not, — pleasures  never  cease. 


In  memory  of  Jon.  M.  Dublois, 
Seaman  of  the  U.  S.  ship  North  Carolina, 
Who  died  August,  1837, 

Aged  40  years. 

In  memory  of  James  Taylor, 

Seaman  on  board  the  U.  S.  ship  Peacock, 
Who  departed  this  life  June  19,  1832, 
Aged  51  years. 

Sacred  to  the  memory  of  James  Laurence, 
Late  seaman  on  H.  M.  S.  President, 
Who  DEPARTED  THIS  LIFE  SePT.  I,  1836, 
Aged  33  years. 

A worthy  shipmate  and  a friend  sincere. 

In  the  cold,  silent  grave  now  sleeps  he  here. 
Plis  warning  was  but  short, — think  of  his  fate. 
And  prepare  for  death  before  it  is  too  late. 


Sacred  to  the  memory  of  William  Edwards, 
Late  Royal  Marine  of  II.  M.  S.  Harris, 
Who  departed  this  life  Nov.  29,  1837, 
Aged  26  years. 

I am  here  at  rest  from  busy  scenes, 

I once  belonged  to  the  Royal  Marines. 

I am  now  confined  within  these  borders. 
Remaining  here  for  further  orders. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


55 


Cl  Git  Meace  Francois  Marie-Nele, 

April,  i8io,  a etables  mort  le  Sept.,  1833; 

Ci  Git  Guine  Joseph  Marie-Nele, 

20  Sept.,  1814,  a plein  mort  a board  de  la 
Frigate  Andromede  le  2 Juin,  1828. 

Sacred  to  the  memory  of  three  seamen. 

Who  departed  this  life  on  board  of  H.  B.  M.  S.  Blond, 
In  the  month  of  May,  1835  • 

John  Bowdon,  aged  26  years; 

Edwin  Bean,  aged  23  years; 

James  Oldridge,  aged  29  years. 

Also  Benj.  Beecroft,  who  died  in  June,  aged  15  years. 

Tremendous  God  ! Thy  sovereign  power 
Has  severed  from  us  like  a flower 
These  seamen  in  their  bloom. 

In  tribute  to  their  memory  dear 

Their  shipmates  have  interred  them  here, 

And  reared  this  humble  tomb. 


Daniel  Dickson,  landsman, 

OF  THE  U.  S.  SHIP  North  Carolina, 
Died  in  June,  1837, 

Aged  19  years. 

In  memory  of  Blyth  Gayle, 

Who  departed  this  life  July  28,  1838, 
Aged  20  years. 

Swift  was  the  summons  to  the  dreary  tomb 
To  him  who  lies  beneath  this  sod. 

The  friend  he  trusted  crushed  his  early  bloom. 
And  sent  him  unprepared  to  meet  his  God. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


59 


No  kindred  weep  above  his  youthful  bier, 

And  stranger  hands,  his  shipmates,  placed  this  tribute  here. 

In  memory  of  Thomas  Hendrick, 

Late  seaman  of  the  U.  S.  ship  North  Carolina, 

Who  departed  this  life  May  31,  1838, 

Aged  16  years. 

In  vain  had  youth  his  flight  impeded, 

And  hope  his  passage  had  delayed; 

Death’s  mandate  all  has  superseded. 

His  final  order  Tom ’s  obeyed. 

In  memory  of  Hugh  McKenzie, 

Who  was  drowned  on  the  25TH  of  Dec.,  1838, 

Aged  27  years. 

Weep  not  for  me,  my  shipmates  kind. 

Nor  mourn  at  my  untimely  end : 

In  heaven  I trust  we  all  shall  find 
A kind  Redeemer,  still  our  friend. 

Jack’s  signal  of  distress  is  a red  flannel  shirt  tied  in 
the  fore  rigging.  Two  of  these  signals  of  distress  were 
made  here  in  this  port  from  two  American  whalers,  both 
full  of  oil,  and  homeward  bound.  Our  commodore 
answered  the  signals  in  person,  and  made  the  two  captains 
promise  that  they  would  treat  the  men  better  and  give 
them  better  rations.  While  lying  here  the  U.  S.  ship 
Falmouth,  Captain  M.  Keever,  arrived  from  Valparaiso. 
She  had  on  board  three  deserters  from  our  ship.  The 
ship  Relief  was  discharged  of  all  her  cargo,  for  she  was 
just  alive  with  big  rats  and  swarming  with  cockroaches. 
I should  think  the  latter  must  have  been  from  two  to 


6o 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


three  inches  long.  There  was  a lot  of  whisky  on 
board  of  her  for  the  squadron,  on  which  most  of  the 
crew  and  the  marines  got  drunk.  Next  morning  at  sun- 
rise all  hands  were  called  to  witness  punishment.  Every 
man  who  had  been  intoxicated  received  one  dozen  lashes 
on  the  bare  back  with  the  cats,  with  the  exception  of 
the  deserters,  who  received,  one  thirty-six  lashes,  the 
others  forty-one  each. 

The  commodore  was  very  busy  at  this  place.  Among 
other  things  he  overhauled  the  officers  and  crews  of  the 
squadron,  and  sent  all  invalids  and  idlers  on  board  the 
Reliefs  which  ship  was  ordered  to  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
and  thence  to  Sydney,  New  South  Wales,  to  land  stores 
for  the  squadron,  thence  to  sail  for  the  United  States  by 
the  way  of  Cape  Horn.  All  hands  wanted  to  go  in  her. 
We  had  a fine  view  of  the  famous  Andes  Mountains, 
which  tower  in  lofty  grandeur  above  the  surrounding 
country.  When  the  sun  sets,  and  sheds  his  golden 
rays  upon  their  numerous  summits,  they  seem  to  move, 
as  though  they  were  having  a frolic,  and  look  like  the 
waves  of  the  ocean  running  after  one  another.  We  lay 
here  until  our  repairs  were  nearly  completed,  when  we 
up  anchor  one  fine  afternoon  and  ran  over  to  the  port. 
We  came  to  in  the  evening,  outside  of  the  rest  of  the 
shipping,  by  the  starboard  anchor.  Callao  presents  a 
poor  appearance  from  the  bay.  The  fort  and  castles  on 
the  right  are  by  no  means  handsome,  and  in  front  of 
them  is  a dirty,  sandy  beach.  To  the  left  is  the  dirtiest 
of  all  dirty  places,  Callao.  When  you  land,  the  first 
discomforts  you  feel  are  the  fleas  making  acquaintance 
with  your  dainty  flesh, — and  the  Lord  help  a greenhorn 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


6i 


on  his  first  landings  for  there  is  no  peace  for  him  ! I 
have  seen  the  officers  go  ashore  in  white  trousers,  and 
in  less  than  thirty  minutes  after  landing  they  were  black 
with  fleas  and  spotted  nearly  all  over  with  blood. 

As  a general  thing  the  houses  are  eighteen  or  twenty 
feet  high,  built  of  mud  and  reeds,  some  of  sun-dried 
bricks,  and  usually  have  but  one  room,  with  a veranda 
in  front.  The  yard  and  cellar  are  on  the  roof,  where 
you  will  find  all  the  cooking  utensils,  rubbish,  etc. 
There  is  always  a large  guyaquil,  or  hammock,  swung 
from  one  corner  of  the  room  to  the  other. 

The  dress  of  the  Peruvian  ladies  is  the  tapada  saya, 
or  petticoat,  made  in  plaits,  containing  thirty  yards  of 
costly  silk.  It  is  drawn  very  close  at  the  bottom,  so 
that  the  wearer  cannot  take  a step  of  more  than  eight  or 
ten  inches.  A costly  mantilla,  or  cloak, — and  for  the 
poorer  women  one  of  cheaper  material, — is  drawn  over 
the  head,  concealing  all  the  face  but  one  eye.  The 
dress  of  the  men  is  the  poncho^  some  of  which  are  very 
costly  and  richly  trimmed.  The  poorer  ones  are  like  a 
blanket  with  a slit  in  the  middle,  through  which  the 
wearer  thrusts  his  head,  and  the  garment  falls  on  all 
sides.  The  ladies  are  very  fond  of  sitting  in  the  veranda 
to  see  and  be  seen,  and,  if  pretty,  to  be  admired.  They 
walk  very  prettily  and  gracefully,  and  have  very  small 
hands  and  feet.  The  color  of  their  hair  is  black,  and  it 
is  very  soft.  They  wash  it  in  water  in  which  Peruvian 
bark  has  been  steeped.  They  seem  to  look  through 
you  with  their  piercing  black  eyes. 

The  tide  at  Callao  is  small,  at  three  feet  only.  The 
situation  of  old  Callao,  which  was  destroyed  by  an  earth- 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


quake  in  1687,  can  be  seen  under  water,  and  at  times, 
when  fishing,  you  may  haul  up  the  skull  of  some  old 
Peruvian  patriot.  It  is  said  that  it  never  rains  in  Peru, 
and  it  is  true,  I think  ; for  it  is  full  of  dust,  dirt,  and 
fleas.  The  shops  are  very  poor.  As  for  the  inhabitants, 
they  are  a miserable  set,  a dirty,  lazy  gang  of  loafers. 
The  country  is  full  of  soldiers,  badly  clad  and  worse  fed, 
and  dirty,  wretched  looking  objects,  but  with  their  old 
cry  of Vive  la  Pe7^arano!''''  still  in  their  mouths.  Con- 
quered as  they  are,  they  still  have  thoughts  of  liberty 
and  freedom.  May  they  never  forget  them  ! The  fort 
and  castle  here  are  strong  enough  to  resist  almost  any 
force,  if  properly  handled ; but  treachery  was  at  work, 
and  the  Peruvians  lost  the  day. 

Lima,  the  capital  of  Peru,  is  some  six  or  seven  miles 
from  here.  It  is  situated  in  a valley  of  the  Andes. 
While  we  were  here  the  Chilian  troops  were  in  possession 
of  the  country  and  Lima  was  garrisoned  by  them. 
There  was  a big  celebration  while  we  were  here.  It  was 
held  in  the  valley  of  the  Amancaes,  two  miles  from  the 
town.  Several  nationalities  were  present  — Peruvians, 
Chilians,  Indians,  Negroes,  half-breeds,  and  others  of 
both  sexes.  They  danced  the  fandango  to  the  tunes 
played  on  the  guitar,  while  others  were  drinking  their 
orgedent,  singing,  gambling,  swearing,  laughing,  fighting, 
and  begging.  It  was  the  24th  of  June,  the  celebration 
of  St.  John’s  day  by  the  Peruvians.  It  carried  me  back 
to  the  days  of  my  youth,  in  those  good  old  times  when 
Boston  Common  was  inclosed  by  a wooden  fence,  and 
the  cows  grazed  thereon,  and  Independence  Day  was  cel- 
ebrated in  the  good,  old-fashioned  way.  Even  the 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


63 


Glorious  Fourth  is  not  forgotten  here,  for  our  ship  was 
dressed  in  many  and  gay  colors,  from  stem  to  stern,  and 
from  the  main  truck  to  the  water’s  edge.  At  twelve 
o’clock,  noon,  a national  salute  was  fired  from  the  sloop- 
of-war  Falmouth  and  immediately  answered  by  H.  B.  M. 
ship  Samorang,  Such  exchanges  of  international  cour- 


THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS. 

tesy  do  much  to  keep  up  the  kindly  feeling  between  the 
two  countries. 

On  the  8th  Benjamin  Olden,  a marine  who  had  died 
the  day  before  on  board  the  ship  Peacock^  was  laid  at 
rest  in  the  quiet  graveyard  on  the  little  island  of  Sm 
J vorenzo.  His  body  was  escorted  to  the  grave  by  a corps 
of  marines.  The  ‘^Southern  Cross”  was  directly  over 
our  heads,  and  when  on  shore  we  could  hear  the  gen- 


64 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast 


darmes  cry  out,  Midnight  is  past ; the  cross  begins  to 
bend.” 

“ While  overhead  the  holy  sign, 

The  Southern  Cross,  is  in  the  sky  : 

Assurance  that  an  eye  Divine 
Watches  the  exile  from  on  high.” 

The  cross  consists  of  four  large,  bright  stars,  two  per- 
pendicular and  two  horizontal,  to  which  fancy  gives  a 
cruciform  shape.  The  two  perpendicular  are  the  lode 
or  magnet,  and  point  us  to  the  south  pole.  They  are 
the  emblem  of  peace  to  the  sailor.  Humboldt  refers  to 
his  first  view  of  this  constellation  with  much  emotion, 
and  Mrs.  Hemans  gives  vent  to  her  feelings  in  the 
following  verses  : 

“ But  to  thee,  as  thy  lodestars  resplendently  burn 
In  their  clear  depths  of  blue,  with  devotion  I turn. 

Bright  Cross  of  the  South  ! and  beholding  thee  shine 
Scarce  regret  the  loved  land  of  the  olive  and  vine. 

“ Thou  recallest  the  ages  when  first  o’er  the  main 
My  fathers  unfolded  the  ensign  of  Spain, 

And  planted  their  faith  in  the  regions  that  see 
Its  unperishing  symbol  emblazoned  in  thee. 

“ Shine  on  — my  own  land  is  a far  distant  spot. 

And  the  stars  of  thy  sphere  can  enlighten  it  not; 

And  the  eyes  that  I love,  though  e’en  now  they  may  be 
O’er  the  firmament  wandering,  can  gaze  not  on  thee  ! 

“ But  thou  to  my  thoughts  art  a pure-blazing  shrine, 

A fount  of  bright  hopes,  and  of  visions  divine; 

And  my  soul,  as  an  eagle  exulting  and  free. 

Soars  high  o’er  the  Andes  to  mingle  with  thee.” 


CHAPTER  V. 


On  the  13th  of  July  we  got  under  way  and  stood  out 
to  sea,  all  the  squadron  in  company  except  the  Sea  Gull. 
The  ship  Relief  directed  her  course  towards  the  Sand- 
wich Islands,  and  the  rest  of  the  squadron  towards  the 
South  Pacific,  or  summer  seas.  Next  day  we  fell  in  with 
a Peruvian  brig  very  much  in  need  of  water.  We  were 
most  happy  to  be  able  to  supply  them  with  the  necessary 
article.  On  this  day  the  following  order  was  read  from 
the  quarter-deck  : The  undersigned,  commanding  the 
U.  S.  expedition,  informs  the  officers  and  crews  under 
his  command  that,  as  they  are  now  about  to  visit  the 
islands  of  the  Pacific  and  to  have  intercourse  with  their 
inhabitants,  he  wishes  to  inculcate  on  all  in  the  squadron 
that  courtesy  and  kindness  towards  the  natives  which  are 
well  understood  and  felt  by  all  classes  of  mankind  ; and 
trusts  that  neither  contempt  of  nor  interference  with 
their  customs,  habits,  manners,  and  prejudices,  nor  arro- 
gance over  them  will  be  shown  by  any  one  belonging  to 
the  squadron,  always  bearing  in  mind  that  savage  natives 
have  but  vague  ideas  of  the  rights  of  property,  and  that 
theft  committed  by  them  has  been  the  great  cause  of 
collision  between  them  and  civilized  nations.  He  would 
therefore  enjoin  upon  them  all  great  moderation  in  every- 


66 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


thing  respecting  their  intercourse  with  them,  that  no 
act  of  hostility  will  be  committed,  and  that  an  appeal 
will  be  made  rather  to  their  good-will  than  to  their 
fears.  That  the  manner  of  trading  established  in  the 
squadron  will  be  most  strictly  adhered  to  by  all,  and 
that  in  event  of  difficulties  or  collision  all  acts  of  force 
will  be  avoided,  unless  for  self-protection.  In  short,  our 
aim  will  be  peace  and  good-will  and  proper  decorum  to 
every  class,  constantly  bearing  in  mind  that  the  future 
intercourse  of  our  countrymen  with  the  natives  of  the 
islands  we  may  visit,  will  very  much  depend  on  the  im- 
pressions made  on  their  minds  by  us,  and  recollecting 
that  it  is  in  the  nature  of  the  savage  long  to  remember 
benefits  and  never  to  forget  injuries.  It  therefore  be- 
hooves us,  wherever  we  go,  to  leave  behind  us,  whether 
among  civilized  or  savage  nations,  favorable  impressions, 
not  only  as  respects  this  national  expedition,  but  for  our 
flag  and  countrymen.  The  commander-in-chief  feels 
confidence  in  relying  on  the  officers  and  crews  to  carry 
out  these  views  from  their  good,  exemplary  conduct,  and 
trusts  that  he  will  not  have  to  regret  the  confidence  he 
reposes  in  them.  Any  acts  inconsistent  with  these  views 
will  meet  with  the  most  exemplary  punishment.” 

August  I St  Alexander  Ogle,  one  of  our  marines,  died. 
He  had  been  sick  but  a few  days.  In  the  afternoon  all 
hands  were  called  to  bury  the  dead,  and  his  body  was 
committed  to  the  deep. 

We  had  very  fine  weather  after  leaving  Callao.  For 
days  and  nights  together  not  a cloud  was  to  be  seen,  and 
the  air  was  refreshingly  clear.  This  is  one  of  the  love- 
liest climates  in  the  world.  I never  saw  the  sea  look  so 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


67 


smooth  as  here  — not  a ripple  to  be  seen  on  its  surface  ; 
and  if  not  for  the  long  swell,  or  heaving  of  its  mighty 
bosom,  it  might  be  taken  for  a sea  of  glass. 

On  the  29th  we  had  a moderate  breeze  from  the  west. 
In  the  evening  we  witnessed  a grand  display  of  the 
zodiacal  light.  It  was  very  bright.  Many  shooting  stars 
from  each  quarter  of  the  heaven  were  also  seen.  Sev- 
eral of  the  following  days  and  nights  were  very  cloudy, 
with  much  lightning,  thunder,  and  rain,  and  sudden 
squalls  from  the  sou ’west.  We  were  now  making  our 
way  very  rapidly  towards  the  fairy  islands  of  the  Pacific. 
There  are  three  classes  of  them,  — the  low  coral,  the 
high  coral,  and  the  mountainous  islands.  The  squadron 
sailed  in  line,  still  we  sailed  over  several  reported  islands 
and  reefs  set  down  on  the  charts.  On  the  13th  we  made 
the  island  of  Minerva,  one  of  the  Paumotu  group,  cr 
Cloud  of  Islands.  This  is  one  of  the  low  coral  or  lagoon 
islands.  It  proved  by  our  surveying  to  be  only  twelve 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  ten  miles  long,  and  six 
hundred  feet  to  its  lagoon.  These  islands  are  composed 
of  coral  and  vegetable  matter.  AVe  landed,  and  got 
some  shells,  plants,  and  coral,  but  the  natives  soon  drove 
us  off.  John  Sac,  a New  Zealander,  one  of  our  crew, 
spoke  the  Tahitian  language,  which  they  understand. 
John  swam  to  the  shore  and  talked  to  them,  but  the  only 
answer  was  several  of  them  crying  out  at  the  same  time  : 

Go  to  your  own  island.  This  belongs  to  us,  and  we  do 
not  want  to  have  anything  to  do  with  you.”  It  was 
impossible  to  land  again  and  have  a peaceful  chat  with 
them.  It  is  no  wonder  that  they  do  not  want  anything 
to  do  with  so-called  civilized  men,  after  having  been  so 


68 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


shamefully  treated,  especially  their  women,  by  whalers 
and  traders  in  these  seas.  It  is  a disgrace  to  civilization. 
In  the  center  of  many  of  these  islands  is  a beautiful  basin 
of  water,  called  a lagoon.  It  is  of  a rich  blue  tint,  and 
generally  has  an  opening  through  which  the  tide  ebbs 
and  flows.  The  pearl  oyster  is  very  abundant  in  these 
lagoons.  The  plants  and  shrubs  upon  these  islands  are 
few,  and  the  cocoanut,  growing  above  them  all,  is  the 
only  fruit  or  vegetable  the  islands  produce.  After  lying 
to  all  night  under  the  lee  of  the  island,  at  daylight  we 
bore  away  for  Serle  Island,  which  we  surveyed.  On  the 
19th  we  made  Hennake  or  Honden  Island.  Here  we 
caught  several  large  turtles,  and  all  hands  had  turtle 
soup.  There  are  no  natives  on  this  island.  The  sharks 
near  the  shore  and  in  the  lagoon  were  ravenously  hungry, 
and  would  bite  at  anything  they  could  reach,  so  it  was 
not  very  pleasant  to  swim  to  the  shore  and  back  again  to 
the  boat. 

This  island  was  swarming  with  a variety  of  bird$. 
They  were  so  tame  that  we  pushed  them  off  their  nests 
to  get  at  their  eggs.  Among  them  were  the  frigate-bird, 
gannet,  sooty  tern,  and  other  beautiful  tropical  birds  in 
large  numbers.  One  could  capture  any  number  of  them 
without  the  least  resistance.  Some  of  the  curious  sights 
to  be  seen  were  crabs  walking  off  with  snakes,  and  then 
both  being  themselves  borne  away  by  some  monster 
bird.  Armies  of  piratical  crabs  were  seen  in  all  direc- 
tions, and  as  for  spiders,  spider-webs,  and  snails,  there 
seemed  to  be  no  end  to  them.  There  were  no  cocoa- 
nuts  or  fruit  of  any  kind  on  this  island.  On  the  23d  we 
made  the  two  Disappointment  Islands  of  Byron.  This 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


6g 


day  George  Reynolds,  ordinary  seaman,  died  on  board 
the  brig  Poi'poise.  Our  chaplain  went  on  board  in  the 
afternoon  and  performed  the  burial  service. 

On  the  24th  we  made  the  nor’west  end  of  Wytoohee, 
which  island  lies  in  latitude  14°  south.  The  natives 
seemed  greatly  astonished  to  see  us,  and  after  rubbing 
noses  with  us  — their  mode  of  salutation — they  would 
lay  their  hands  on  us  to  satisfy  themselves  that  we  were 
really  human.  The  younger  ones  were  the  first  to  show 
any  freedom,  and  were  disposed  to  joke  with  us. 
While  on  shore  we  inquired  for  their  huts.  They  seemed 
to  be  taken  all  aback.  When  we  had  made  them 
understand  that  they  had  nothing  to  fear,  they  led  the 
way  through  the  bushes  of  palms  to  an  open  space  sur- 
rounded by  cocoanut  and  pandanus  trees.  This  was 
their  village.  On  looking  into  their  huts  and  seeing  no 
one,  we  inquired  for  their  women  and  children,  when 
they  burst  out  in  great  laughter  and  gave  us  to  under- 
stand that  they  lived  on  an  island  where  there  were 
none.  Their  huts  are  so  small  they  hardly  deserve  the 
name.  They  are  six  to  eight  feet  long,  four  feet  high, 
and  five  feet  wide. 

We  discovered,  on  the  28th,  an  island  not  laid  down 
on  any  chart.  It  was  named  King’s  Island,  for  the  man 
at  the  mast-head  who  first  discovered  it.  It  was  only 
six  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  It  was  a lagoon 
island,  and  was  eight  miles  long.  After  surveying  it  we 
bore  away  for  Raraka,  and  made  it  soon  after.  As  we 
neared  it  another  island  was  discovered  to  the  north- 
ward, which  was  named  for  our  ship,  Vincennes.  After 
visiting  Dean’s  Island,  Aratica,  and  Waterlandt,  and  dis- 


70 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


covering  Peacock  Island,  we  bore  away  for  Metia,  or 
Aurora  Island,  and  made  it  on  the  9th  of  September. 
This  was  one  of  the  high  coral  islands,  and  was  totally 
different  from  any  we  had  fallen  in  with.  It  looked  as 
if  it  had  risen  up  out  of  the  sea.  By  our  survey  we  found 
it  to  be  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high.  We  took  a 
cast  of  the  lead  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  from  its  per- 
pendicular cliffs,  and  found  no  bottom  with  one  hundred 
and  fifty  fathoms  of  line.  On  landing  we  were  soon 
surrounded  by  the  natives,  men,  women,  and  children, 
of  all  ages,  and  dressed  after  the  fashion  of  all  nations. 
They  seemed  delighted  to  see  us.  They  gathered  round 
and  stared  at  us  just  the  same  as  we  would  at  a tribe  of 
Indians  walking  on  our  public  streets.  The  young  ladies 
seemed  to  be  dressed  in  their  holiday  attire.  They  had 
oiled  themselves  with  stale  cocoanut  oil,  which  gave 
them  a bright  orange  look.  This  oiling  process  is  to 
keep  off  the  numerous  flies,  for  they  dislike  the  smell  of 
rancid  oil.  The  young  women’s  heads  were  adorned 
with  many  and  gay  flowers.  On  the  island  we  found 
several  refreshing  springs.  There  were  also  plenty  of 
pigs  and  hens.  Here  grow  the  yam,  the  taro,  the  bread- 
fruit, and  the  cocoanut.  The  coral  reefs  are  alive  with 
a variety  of  pan  fish  and  crabs.  There  was  an  abundance 
of  large,  green  ^‘bottle”  flies,  whose  bite  is  very  poison- 
ous. Seeing  that  the  natives  had  no  war- clubs,  we 
inquired  for  them.  They  said  it  used  to  be  all  war,  but 
now  it  was  all  peace,  niittio7iari  7nai-tai^  inai-taif 
meaning  ‘Huissionary,  good,  good”  ; and  that  they  had 
no  use  for  clubs  or  spears  now. 

At  six  o’clock,  the  surveying  boats  having  returned, 


TAHITI.  THE  GEM  OF  THE  PACIFIC 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


71 


we  bore  away  for  the  Society  Islands.  There  are  eight 
large  and  several  small  islands  in  this  group.  They 
were  first  discovered  by  that  distinguished  circumnavi- 
gator, Captain  James  Cook,  in  the  year  1769.  On  the 
loth  of  September  we  came  to  anchor  in  Matavai  Bay, 
off  Point  Venus,  Island  of  Otaheite.  This  is  one  of  the 
mountainous  islands.  Aorai  is  about  7,000  feet  high, 
and  to  the  summit  of  Orohena  is  10,000  feet.  We 
ascended  these  mountians  for  the  purpose  of  taking 
observations.  While  here  we  saw  many  wild  hogs,  and 
groves  of  the  banana  sometimes  called  hog  banana. 
This  fruit  is  twice  as  large  as  the  common  banana.  It 
is  over  a foot  long  and  from  two  to  three  inches  thick, 
of  a rich  golden  hue  and  a very  delicious  flavor.  For 
several  days  our  decks  were  crowded  with  natives.  At 
last  orders  were  given  that  none  but  big  chiefs  would  be 
allowed  on  board.  Finally  a stop  had  to  be  put  to 
their  coming  on  board  at  all,  for  every  native,  no  matter 
how  small,  was  a big  chief.  In  fact,  they  were  as  thick 
as  colonels  and  majors  in  the  Southern  States  after  the 
Rebellion. 

The  sick  of  the  squadron  were  taken  on  shore,  and 
our  observatory  was  put  up  at  Point  Venus.  This  is  the 
place  where  Captain  Cook  took  the  transit  of  that  planet 
over  one  hundred  years  ago.  The  natives  here  seemed 
to  be  very  happy,  gay,  and  cheerful.  They  are  very 
honest,  but  are  great  beggars.  The  ladies  — may  God 
bless  them  all,  old  and  young  ! — are  pretty ; that  is,  I 
mean  to  say,  they  have  handsome,  round,  full  faces,  jet- 
black  hair,  dark,  round,  piercing  eyes,  and  large,  white 
teeth.  They  are  of  a light  olive  complexion..  But  their . 


72 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


forms  ! they  are  either  round-shouldered,  knock-kneed, 
bow-legged,  or  parrot -toed ; some  are  also  badly  cross- 
eyed. It  seems  as  if  they  can  see  two  different  ways 
at  the  same  time.  In  fact.  Jack  says  they  are  lop-sided 
and  out  of  kilter  altogether.  Those  who  wore  any  head- 
gear  had  on  high,  flaring  chip  bonnets  of  their  own 
make,  which  looked  like  baskets,  minus  bottoms  and  a 


TAHITIAN  GIRL. 


portion  of  the  rims,  and  tied  on  their  heads  edgewise, 
'rheir  frocks  were  made  of  silk  and  of  other  kinds  of 
cloth,  tlie  same  width  around  the  neck  as  around  the 
bottom,  drawn  in  around  the  neck  with  a showy  hand- 
kerchief. The  hat  worn  by  ladies  is  something  like  a 
wreath  of  flowers,  made  from  the  pandanus,  or  cape 
jessamine.  A rose  is  often  stuck  through  the  lobe  of 
the  ear,  and  is  a pleasing  contrast  to  their  glossy,  black 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


73 


hair.  The  dress  of  the  men  is  the  pareic^  a piece  of 
cloth  tied  round  the  waist,  extending  down  the  leg  to 
the  calf,  and  a gay-colored  shirt.  Often  the  shirt  with- 
out the  pareic  is  seen,  and  some  dress  in  sailor  rig. 

They  live  on  yams,  taro,  bread-fruit,  vi-apple,  bananas, 
oranges,  cocoanuts,  sugar-cane,  fowls,  and  fish.  The  lat- 
ter they  eat  raw.  They  use  neither  chairs,  tables,  nor 
salt,  but  instead  of  the  latter  they  use  sea-water.  It  is 
very  amusing  to  see  them  eat.  They  sit  upon  mats 
spread  on  the  earth-floor,  both  sexes  cross-legged,  and 
‘‘sail  right  in.”  Each  article  of  food  is  dipped  into  the 
sea- water,  and  they  munch  away  with  their  mouths  full. 
Such  a smacking  of  their  lips  ! it  is  jolly  to  see  and  hear 
them.  They  are,  in  fact,  perfect  gormands.  They  eat, 
e?t,  and  eat,  until  they  can  scarcely  breathe  : and  then 
those  who  are  so  full  that  they  cannot  get  up,  roll  over 
and  go  to  sleep,  and  don’t  eat  again  until  they  get  hungry. 
Their  huts  are  of  an  oval  shape,  sixty  by  twenty  feet, 
and  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  feet  high,  built  of  bread- 
fruit and  cocoanut  trees.  The  walls  are  of  bamboo,  the 
roofs  are  thatched  with  pandanus.  They  contain  one 
large  room,  which  is  screened  off  at  night  with  various 
mats.  They  are  generally  built  in  a grove  of  cocoanut 
or  bread-fruit  trees.  A native  can  live  wherever  he 
likes,  for  food  is  to  be  found  everywhere  in  abundance. 
As  for  lodging,  it  never  enters  his  mind,  for  the  Tahitian 
can  sleep  just  as  well  on  the  beach  at  high-water  mark, 
or  under  a banana  tree,  as  in  his  own  hut.  They  are 
very  fond  of  the  water,  and  when  in  it  are  as  happy  as 
ducks.  They  are  very  graceful  swimmers.  They  tie  a 
line  to  the  top  of  a cocoanut  tree,  and  on  it  swing  across 


74 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


the  water,  and  sometimes  they  let  go  and  drop  in. 
They  are  beautiful  singers  and  are  always  humming. 
Nearly  every  night,  about  three  bells,  we  were  roused 
from  our  peaceful  slumbers  by  the  fair  Tahitian  mer- 
maids, who  would  launch  forth  from  their  coral  caves 
with  comb  and  glass  in  hand,  their  long  hair  floating  in 
the  breeze.  When  they  reached  the  beach  just  ahead 
of  the  ship,  they  would  commence  to  sing.  Richer, 
clearer,  softer,  or  sweeter  voices  I never  listened  to  in 
any  part  of  the  world.  That  we  might  understand  and 
join  with  them  they  would  now  and  then  sing  in  our 
own  language  Old  Hundred”  or  Coronation.” 
They  always  wound  up  by  singing  some  familiar  sailor 
songs,  which  they  had  learned  from  the  whalers,  such  as 
^^The  Bay  of  Biscay,”  Black-eyed  Susan,”  ^OVhen  will 
my  Sailor  Boy  Come  Home?”  Bonny  Bunch  of 
Roses,  O,” 

“ Off  Japan,  and  wide  awake, 

Plenty  of  whales,  and  no  mistake,” 

and  We  Won’t  Go  Home  till  Morning.”  These  Tahitian 
operas  usually  lasted  till  two  or  three  o’clock  in  the 
morning,  when  many  of  the  singers  would  swim  to  the 
ship  and  beg  to  come  on  board.  Being  refused,  they 
would  go  back  to  their  coral  caves. 

This  group  of  islands  was  the  first  discovered  in  the 
South  Pacific,  and  has  been  oftener  visited  than  any 
other  islands.  Their  language  was  the  first  native  lan- 
guage reduced  to  writing. 

The  first  missionary  society  ever  formed  was  in  Scot- 
land, and  it  was  called  the  Missionary  Society,”  after- 
wards the  London  Missionary  Society.”  This  society 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


75 


sent  out  the  first  mission- ship,  called  the  Duff.  She 
sailed  from  Cadwell,  England,  August  lo,  1796,  with 
thirty  missionaries  on  board,  a number  of  whom  were 
accompanied  by  their  wives.  Then  the  first  missionary- 
flag — three  doves  on  a purple  field,  bearing  olive 
branches  in  their  beaks  — floated  to  the  breeze  from  her 
mizzen  peak.  The  directors  of  the  society  received  the 
missionaries  of  different  denominations.  Simply  as 
Christians  they  sent  them  to  the  isles  of  the  sea,  putting 
into  their  hands  the  Bible,  with  this  brief  and  simple 
charge  : ‘‘  Go,  beloved  brothers.  Live  agreeably  to  this 
blessed  Word,  and  publish  the  Gospel  to  the  heathen 
according  to  your  gifts  and  abilities.”  The  mission- ship 
was  hailed  a few  days  out  by  a man-of-war. 

Ship  ahoy  ! ” 

Ay,  ay,  sir  ! ” 

What  ship  is  that?  ” 

^^The  Ditff:^ 

Where  bound?  ” 

Otaheite.” 

What  cargo  ? ” 

‘^Missionaries  and  provisions.” 

Eighteen  of  these  men  were  left  on  this  island.  They 
must  have  done  a great  work,  for  now  they  have  quite  a 
number  of  churches  and  schoolhouses  in  this  group, 
and  many  of  the  natives  can  read  and  write. 

Saturday,  September  14th,  arriving  on  their  Sunday,  by 
our  reckoning,  all  labor  was  stopped,  and  all  hands  except 
the  first  part  of  the  starboard  watch  went  on  shore  to 
meeting.  There  were  two  missionaries,  Mr.  Wilson  and 
Mr.  Pratt.  The  former,  a very  old  man,  preached.  He 


76 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


came  here  in  the  ship  Ditff.  The  audience,  all  native 
except  our  crew,  listened  attentively  to  the  preaching. 
Sitting  cross-legged  upon  the  ground  and  listening  to 
preaching  which  we  did  not  understand,  was  something 
to  which  we  were  not  accustomed.  The  next  day,  the 
15  th,  being  our  Sunday,  we  went  on  shore  again  to 
meeting  in  the  mission  chapel.  Our  chaplain  preached. 
It  seemed  odd  to  have  two  Sundays  so  near  together. 
Sunday  is  very  much  respected  here.  No  labor  or  games 
of  any  kind  are  allowed  ; no,  not  even  the  picking  of  a 
cocoanut,  or  the  paddling  of  your  own  canoe,  is  per- 
mitted on  that  day.  In  fact,  it  is  more  quiet  and  Sun- 
day-like on  the  civilized  islands  of  the  Pacific  than  in 
our  cities  and  towns.  There,  it  is  truly  the  Lord’s  Day, 
and  the  people  not  only  recognize  it  as  such,  but  keep 
it  sacred. 

The  penalty  for  breaking  the  Sabbath  is  making  so 
many  fathoms  ” of  road;  for  the  second  offense  the 
number  of  fathoms  ” is  doubled.  The  walk  to  Papara 
over  Broom  Road  is  lovely,  and  reminds  one  somewhat 
of  the  shell- road  leading  from  New  Orleans  to  Lake 
Pontchartrain.  It  leads  around  the  island,  and  is  about 
one  hundred  miles  long.  It  is  sometimes  called  Pomars, 
or  the  Queen’s  Road.  At  certain  distances  there  are 
groves  of  cocoanut  trees  planted  by  Queen  Pomars. 
They  form  a delightful  shade,  and  travelers  are  at  liberty 
to  help  themselves  to  the  fruit.  Almost  every  house  has 
its  garden  of  luscious  bananas,  tempting  oranges,  delicious 
pine-apples,  etc.  Whenever  one  of  the  trees  has  a piece 
of  tapa  tied  around  it,  it  is  tabooed.  This  law, 
the  taboo,  is  always  respected  under  all  circumstances 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


77 


by  the  heathen.  Here  in  our  civilized  and  Christianized 
land  you  may  see  those  little  signs, — ^^No  trespassing  on 
these  grounds,”  ‘^Beware  of  the  bulldog  and  the  shot- 
gun,” etc.,  but  the  fruit  is  stolen  all  the  same. 


NATIVE  WITH  COCOANUTS. 


This  island,  Tahiti,  is  enchanting,  and  well  deserves 
the  name,  ‘‘The  brightest  gem  of  the  Pacific.” 

“ Where  the  pale  citron  blows, 

And  golden  fruit  through  dark  green  foliage  glows.'’ 

Several  of  our  men  deserted  here,  and  a reward  of 
thirty  dollars  was  offered  for  each  man  arrested.  They 


75 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


were  captured  in  the  mountains  and  brought  down  to 
the  reef  by  the  natives.  Their  wrists  and  ankles  had 
been  tied  each  to  the  other,  and  a limb  of  a tree  run 
through,  the  ends  resting  on  the  shoulders  of  the  natives. 
This  is  their  mode  of  carrying  burdens.  As  soon  as  the 
deserters  had  been  brought  on  board  they  were  ordered 
to  take  from  the  capstan  the  reward  of  thirty  dollars  and 
place  it  in  the  hands  of  those  natives  who  captured  them, 
after  which  each  deserter  received  thirty-six  lashes  with 
the  cat  on  his  bare  back. 

Having  finished  the  survey  of  this  group  of  islands  we 
bade  adieu  to  the  fair  Tahitians  and  their  fairy  islands. 
Then  we  up  anchor  and  stood  out  of  the  bay.  It  was 
beautiful  indeed  to  sail  along  these  shores  and  see  the 
villages,  in  the  coves  and  valleys,  surrounded  by  cocoa- 
nut  and  bread-fruit  trees.  The  day,  as  all  days  in  Tahiti, 
was  lovely.  The  night  was  as  fine  and  clear  as  the  day, 
although  we  had  much  lightning  with  no  thunder. 

A day  or  two  afterward  we  had  a sailor’s  tea-party. 
Through  the  oversight  of  our  purser,  his  steward,  or 
some  one  else,  our  tea,  which  was  not  of  extra  quality, 
ran  short,  and  the  purser  took  this  opportunity  to  double 
the  price.  In  consequence,  the  crew  held  a council  of 
war.  After  some  debate  we  left  the  matter  in  the  hands 
of  a committee,  composed  of  the  petty  officers,  who  were 
to  decide  our  course  of  action.  It  was  amusing  to  hear 
them  laying  down  the  law,  and  talking  seriously  about 
mutiny.  Jack  Kennison,  whose  father  was  in  the  Boston 
Tea-party,  argued  the  case  first,  then  Sam  Williams,  one 
of  our  gunner’s  mates,  then  many  another  old  salt.” 
Finally,  the  committee  gave  the  following  verdict : We 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


79 


will  buy  no  more  of  the  tea  at  any  price,  let  this  be 
called  mutiny,  a tea-party,  or  whatever  they  choose  to 
name  it.”  Our  mess  bill,  which  we  received  at  the  end 
of  each  month,  read  as  follows  : Tea,  sugar,  tobacco, 
mustard,  pepper,  bees-wax,  soap,  white  and  black  thread, 
thimbles,  scissors,  palms,  large  and  small  needles,  dead- 
eye  buttons,  tin  pots,  tin  pans,  tin  spoons.”  Our  division 
bill : Pea-jackets,  blankets,  mattresses,  blue  jackets, 

blue  trousers,  blue  flannel  shirts,  yards  of  sheeting,  yards 
of  dungaree,  black  silk  neckerchiefs,  yards  of  black  rib- 
bon, stockings,  shoes.”  Whatever  of  these  articles  we 
wanted,  we  would  sign  for,  and  they  would  be  charged 
to  our  account.  We  now  signed  for  everything  we 
wanted,  except  tea  and  sugar,  and  then,  with  intense 
anxiety,  awaited  the  result,  expecting  every  minute  to 
hear  the  drum  beat  to  quarters,  or  the  boatswain  and 
his  mate  calling  all  hands  to  witness  punishment.  The 
commodore  and  the  purser  were  walking  the  quarter- 
deck, next  morning,  talking  very  seriously.  The  former’s 
face,  which  was  always  hard,  this  morning  looked  as 
genial  as  if  he  had  discovered  a new  planet.  We  did 
not  hear  any  more  about  tea  until  we  arrived  at  Sydney. 
In  the  meantime  our  breakfast  and  supper  consisted  of 
a scouse  made  of  yams  and  taro,  and  salt  junk,  with  our 
usual  ship- bread  and  water. 

After  visiting  the  islands  of  Huaheine,  Tahaa,  Bora- 
bora,  and  Maufili,  we  made  Bellinghausen’s  Island. 
This  is  one  of  the  low  coral  islands.  Here  we  landed, 
and  made  magnetic  observations.  On  the  7th  of  October 
we  made  Rose  Island,  the  most  eastern  of  the  Samoan 
or  Navigator  group.  This  is  also  one  of  the  low  coral 


8o 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


islands.  The  tide  rises  here  but  two  feet,  and  at  high 
water  the  island  is  overflowed.  In  the  center  of  its 
lagoon  is  a most  remarkable  sight.  It  is  nothing  less 
than  a large  submerged  coral  tree,  thirty  feet  in  diameter 
across  its  top.  We  sounded,  and  found  over  six  fathoms 
of  water  all  around  it.  Fishes  of  various  colors,  shapes, 
and  sizes  were  playing  among  its  coral  branches,  present- 
ing a beautiful  sight.  We  captured  several  turtles,  but  their 
flesh  was  very  rank  and  coarse.  The  Samoan  Islands 
were  discovered  in  1678  by  Bougainville,  a French 
navigator. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


On  the  loth  of  October  we  came  to  anchor  in  Pago 
Pago  Bay,  on  the  south  side  of  the  island  of  Tutuila. 
This  is  another  rendezvous  of  our  whalers  and  South 
Pacific  traders.  Ships  seldom  enter  or  leave  Pago  Pago 
Bay  without  a great  deal  of  ‘‘going  about,”  “tacking,” 
“wearing,”  “luffing,”  “letting  go,”  and  “hauling.” 
Then  one  must  be  very  careful,  or  the  ship  will  get  “ in 
stays  or  irons.”  If  this  happens,  the  alternative  will  be 
to  “ box  her  off”  or  to  “wear  her  round  on  her  heel.” 
Entering  this  harbor  is  something  like  beating  up  the 
Straits  of  Balambangan,  when  the  ship’s  yards  have  to  be 
braced  chock  up  in  the  wind’s  eye  to  keep  the  monkey’s 
tails  from  getting  squeezed  in  the  brace  blocks. 

This  bay,  Pago  Pago,  is  very  deep,  penetrating  so  far 
into  the  island  as  to  cut  it  nearly  in  two.  Its  shores  are 
rugged  rocks,  of  a volcanic  nature,  from  eight  hundred 
to  a thousand  feet  high.  The  bay  reminds  one  of  a huge 
extinct  crater  half  full  of  water.  There  is  a coral  bank 
about  a mile  long,  near  the  entrance,  and  the  sea  breaks 
over  it  when  there  is  any  wind.  As  soon  as  we  had 
dropped  anchor  we  were  surrounded  by  numerous  canoes 
filled  with  natives,  bringing  fruit  of  all  kinds.  These 
savages  were  highly  delighted  with  the  ships,  and  the 


82 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


number  of  men  on  board.  On  many  of  the  islands  of  the 
Pacific  there  were  runaway  convicts  from  Hobart  Town 
and  Sydney,  the  Botany  Bay  of  Great  Britain.  There 
were  also  many  runaway  sailors  and  many  who  had  not 
run  away,  but  who  had  been  driven  off  by  bad  usage. 
I'he  next  morning  after  our  arrival,  an  American  whaler, 
hailing  from  New  Bedford,  came  into  port  with  a red 
shirt  fluttering  to  the  breeze  from  her  fore-rigging. 


PAGO  PAGO  BAY. 

When  a man-of-war’s  man  sees  that  signal  he  well  knows 
that  there  is  difficulty  between  Jack  before  the  mast 
and  the  officers  of  that  ship.  Our  commodore  was  soon 
on  board  the  whaler  and  listening  to  Jack’s  yarn.  He 
was  told  that  they  were  two  years  out ; that  they  were 
full  of  oil,  had  plenty  of  provisions,  and  were  homeward 
bound ; that  they  had  been  put  on  short  allowance ; 
were  short-handed,  five  of  the  crew  having  died,  and 
three  being  sick  in  their  bunks  from  ill-treatment ; and 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast.  8} 


that  they  were  so  tyrannically  abused  that  they  had  taken 
charge  of  the  ship,  confining  the  officers  below  in  the 
cabin,  and  had  steered  for  the  nearest  port.  Our  com- 
modore, who  acted  as  arbitrator,  soon  settled  matters, 
and  the  whaler  sailed  for  the  United  States  a week  after- 
ward, with  several  of  our  invalids  on  board  of  her. 

The  Samoan  group  of  islands  is  situated  in  the  South 
Pacific  Ocean,  between  latitudes  13°  and  15  ° south,  lon- 
gitude 168°  west.  There  are  about  twelve  islands,  large 
and  small,  Savaii  being  the  largest,  then  Apolima.  Tutuila 
is  about  one  hundred  miles  in  circumference.  The  entire 
area  of  the  group  is  about  three  thousand  square  miles. 
The  population  was  at  that  time  nearly  sixty  thousand. 
The  people  are  divided  into  two  parties,  — the  Christians, 
who  follow  the  missionaries,  and  the  Devils,”  who  do 
not.  The  latter  were  so  named  by  the  former.  While 
exploring  the  interior,  we  discovered  several  extinct  cra- 
ters, on  Mt.  Malata,  over  two  thousand  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea.  One  on  the  summit  was  two  miles  in 
circumference  and  three  hundred  feet  deep.  Its  bottom 
was  a beautiful  sight.  It  was  thickly  covered  with  a for- 
est of  lofty  palm  trees.  We  also  found  several  mountain 
streamlets,  beautiful  waterfalls,  and  fairy  lakes.  The  vari- 
ous vines,  and  rattans  almost  a hundred  feet  long,  were 
so  thick  that  we  could  with  difficulty  make  our  way 
through  them.  The  warbling  of  beautiful  birds  was 
enchanting.  Our  botanist  seemed  at  a loss  for  words 
with  which  to  name  the  unknown  blossoms  that  adorned 
these  woods  and  filled  the  air  with  their  fragrance.  The 
wild  orange  was  very  plentiful,  and  in  places  the  ground 
was  literally  covered  with  it.  I think  they  are  of  a richer 


84 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


flavor  than  the  cultivated  ones,  — at  any  rate,  they  are 
larger. 

On  our  way  back  to  the  ship  we  came  to  one  of  the 
‘‘Devils'  ” villages.  Near  it  was  a fine,  stately  tree.  It  had 
been  stripped  of  its  branches  except  at  its  top.  It  was  tim- 
bered in  at  its  base  after  the  fashion  of  the  hull  of  a ship. 
This  tree  served  as  a mast ; a small  cocoanut  tree  made 
a bowsprit ; another,  a rudder  ; blocks  of  coral  answered 
for  ballast,  while  vines,  creepers,  and  rattans  served  as 
her  rigging.  This  Papalangi  ship,  as  the  natives  called 
her,  afforded  them  a great  deal  of  amusement  and  pas- 
time. There  were  a great  number  of  young  natives, 
heathen  or  devils,  as  you  choose  to  call  them,  playing 
and  having  a jolly  time  with  her. 

After  our  return  to  the  ship,  on  going  down  to  the 
berth  deck,  Elijah  King,  a Boston  boy,  called  me  by  name. 
On  looking  round  I saw  him  and  another  man  whom  I took 
for  a native.  The  latter  had  very  long  hair  and  whiskers 
and  was  tattooed  from  head  to  foot.  He  had  nothing 
on  but  the  mora,  or  girdle.  He  looked  wild  and  savage, 
though  very  intelligent.  They  were  sitting  on  a mess-chest 
talking,  others  of  the  crew  round  them  listening.  King 
asked  me  where  I was  born.  I said  on  Roxbury  Neck. 
At  once  the  stranger  seized  me  and  set  me  on  his  knee, 
while  the  big  tears  rolled  down  his  cheeks.  He  said 
that  I had  sat  upon  his  knee  when  a child,  before  my 
father  left  home.  I told  him  I had  no  remembrance  of 
my  father.  It  was  always  mother,  mother,  mother  with 
me.  This  man’s  name  was  Daniel  French,  and  he  was 
born  in  Roxbury.  He  said  his  relatives  lived  in  the  west- 
ern part  of  the  town,  and  that  he  was  in  ill  health  when 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


55 


he  shipped  on  board  of  a whaler.  They  had  had  ex- 
traordinarily good  luck,  for  in  twenty  months  they  were 
full  of  oil ; but  their  rations  and  treatment  were  so  bad 
that  he,  with  several  others,  left  the  ship,  and  he  had 
been  on  this  island  ever  since — sixteen  years.  He 
had  married  a Devil  ” chief’s  daughter,  and  had 
thirteen  little  ones.  In  1875  ^ heard  that  Mr.  French 
was  still  living. 

A whaler’s  crew  are  not  paid  by  the  month,  but  have  a 
lay  ; that  is  to  say,  the  captain  has  one  barrel  out  of  every 
thirty,  and  Jack  before  the  mast  one  out  of  about  every 
five  hundred.  At  the  end  of  a voyage,  through  much 
abuse  and  tyrannical  treatment  by  the  officers  of  the  ship, 
Jack  before  the  mast  is  often  fairly  driven  from  the  ship. 
This  is  called  desertion.  Then  his  lay  falls  to  the  own- 
ers, if  the  captain  does  not  contrive  some  way  or  other 
to  secure  it. 

In  the  Christian  villages  we  saw  their  churches  and 
schoolhouses.  The  missionaries  here  have  their  print- 
ing-press, and  had  translated  and  printed  most  of  the 
Bible  into  the  native  language.  Many  of  the  native 
women  dress  in  loose  gingham  or  calico  frocks,  and  the 
men  wear  a shirt  or  a pair  of  trousers,  and  sometimes 
both.  Both  sexes  wear  their  hair  short  and  sprinkle  it 
with  coral  lime  to  destroy  the  vermin.  This  causes  their 
hair  to  turn  a carroty  red.  Sunday  is  strictly  observed 
here.  A native  will  not  so  much  as  get  you  a cocoanut 
upon  that  day.  I do  not  remember  ever  having  been 
in  a meeting  where  the  people  were  more  quiet  and  atten- 
tive to  the  preaching  than  here  among  the  missionaries. 
Here  was  the  old  pioneer,  the  Rev.  John  Williams,  the 


86 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


author  of  The  Missionary  Entei'prise.  All  hands  used 
to  like  his  preaching.  He  was  truly  one  of  God’s 
noblemen. 

VVe  found  no  churches  or  schoolhouses  in  the  Devils’  ” 
villages.  They  live  altogether  differently  from  the  Chris- 
tians. They  dress  in  the  old  heathen  style,  wearing 
only  the  titi^  that  is,  a girdle  of  leaves  that  gives  them 


a most  graceful  appearance.  The  leaves  are  slit,  and 
the  dress  has  the  appearance  of  a short  striped  petticoat. 
They  wear  their  hair  long,  usually  tied  in  a bunch  on  one 
side  of  the  head,  which  gives  them  a wild  look. 

We  witnessed  some  of  their  war  dances.  The  ‘‘Devils’  ” 
dance  was  only  indulged  in  by  the  young  ladies.  The 
audience  would  lie  down  on  mats,  and  three  or  four  of 
the  old  women  would  beat  time  with  small  sticks  on  a 
short  log.  The  dancers  kept  excellent  time  to  the  music. 


MALIETOA,  THE  CHRISTIAN  CHIEF. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


S? 


with  contortions  of  the  body,  throwing  around  the 
arms  and  legs  like  one  of  our  pasteboard  jumping-jacks. 
This  dance  is  something  like  the  Spanish  fandango,  only 
more  immoral.  It  is  held  in  the  fate -tele  where  strangers 
are  entertained.  The  dance  is  kept  up  till  sunrise,  and 
ends  with  a loud  shout  and  a clap  of  the  hands.  Many 
of  the  nights  are  spent  in  this  way,  and  most  of  the  day 
is  passed  in  sleeping,  eating,  and  swimming. 

There  was  no  king  over  these  islands,  but  there  were 
several  chiefs,  each  of  whom  ruled  over  a district,  village, 
or  bay.  The  Ten  Commandments  were  the  common 
law  of  the  islands.  I will  give  the  ‘‘Devils’^  their  due, 
and  say  that  they  entertained  us  hospitably  while  we 
were  in  their  villages,  although  they  were  duly  com- 
pensated through  our  traffic  with  them.  Their  mode  of 
salutation  is  to  take  one’s  hand  and  rub  the  back  of  it 
over  their  noses.  The  first  pigs  were  brought  here  by 
Captain  Cook.  The  natives  decorated  the  largest  hogs 
with  wreaths  of  flowers,  and  tied  necklaces  of  shells 
around  their  necks  ; in  fact,  they  were  fairly  carried  away 
with  this,  to  them,  new  species  of  animal.  The  mission- 
aries have  introduced  many  cattle,  horses,  and  fowls. 
The  first  mule  that  was  imported  was  a Jumbo  ” to  them. 
He  also  was  decorated  with  many  gay  flowers  and  wreaths 
and  was  marched  around  the  island  to  gratify  the  natives 
with  a sight  of  him.  There  are  many  specimens  of  manly 
beauty  among  the  Samoans.  As  for  the  women,  they 
are  stout  and  ill-formed.  The  girls  are  lively,  have 
expressive  countenances,  and,  what  is  rare  among  the 
islands  of  the  Pacific,  have  a degree  of  bashfulness  unlike 
their  sisters  of  Tahiti.  They  have  not  very  musical 


88 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


voices,  but  are  wonderfully  correct  in  beating  time. 
When  a native  wishes  to  take  a wife  he  gets  the  consent 
of  the  chief.  Then  he  takes  a basket  of  bread-fruit  and 
offers  it  to  the  girl  of  his  choice.  If  she  accepts,  his  suit 
is  gained.  He  then  must  pay  to  her  parents  a certain 
price  fjr  her.  A chiefs  daughter  is  valued  as  high  as  a 
musket,  a half-dozen  hatchets  or  plane-irons,  or  as  many 
yards  of  sheeting.  Tattooing  is  called  ta-ta-tauT 
The  natives  are  very  fond  of  it,  and  it  is  not  uncommon 
to  see  the  whole  body  covered.  It  is  performed  by  per- 
sons who  make  it  a regular  business. 

Having  finished  the  survey  of  Tutuila,  we  up  anchor 
and  stood  for  the  island  of  Upolu  about  forty  miles  to 
the  westward.  Next  morning  we  dropped  anchor  in  the 
harbor  of  Apia.  We  were  soon  visited  by  the  big  chief 
of  the  Christian  party,  his  wife,  two  daughters,  and  a 
number  of  small  chiefs.  Pea,  the  big  chief,  wore  a sailor’s 
jacket,  trousers,  a white  vest,  a tall  beaver  hat,  and  shoes. 
His  wife  wore  a short  calico  jacket  and  a straw  bonnet, 
but  no  shoes.  He  looked  like  a grandson  beside  her, 
for  he  was  a very  small  man,  while  she  was  an  extremely 
large  woman.  Their  two  daughters  were  very  gayly 
dressed.  They  wore  short  gingham  frocks,  flashy  waist- 
ribbons,  and  morocco  shoes.  The  small  chiefs  wore 
nothing  but  their  native  tapa  tied  round  their  waists  so 
as  to  cover  the  lower  part  of  the  body.  After  visiting 
the  different  parts  of  the  ship,  refreshments  were  served 
in  the  wardroom,  where  they  ate  and  ate  until  they  could 
eat  no  more. 

During  our  surveying  trip  across  the  island  we  visited 
many  of  the  Devils’  ” towns,  or  those  not  yet  Christian- 


EMMA,  DAUGHTER  OF  MALEITOA. 


...i-  : 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


ized,  and  were  always  treated  with  much  respect.  At 
Sagana,  a Christian  village,  we  saw  the  old  chief,  Mal- 
ietoa,  whose  hair  was  white  with  age.  He  was  in  his 
domestic  circle  taking  a siesta.  One  of  his  daughters 
was  fanning  him.  She  was  the  prettiest  young  lady  we 
had  seen  in  this  group.  Her  name  was  Emma,  and  she 
was  as  intelligent  as  she  was  pretty. 

The  native  canoes  are  finely  built,  and  have  a deck 
both  forward  and  aft.  They  are  long  and  narrow,  with 
an  out-rigger,  and  are  elegantly  modeled.  The  seat  of 
honor  is  the  forward  deck,  in  the  center  of  which  a row 
of  pegs  is  placed,  to  which  a large  oval  shell  is  attached 
by  way  of  ornament.  A native  finds  no  difficulty  in  sit- 
ting there,  but  a stranger  is  painfully  impressed  before 
many  minutes  are  over,  and  will  long  remember  the 
honor  he  there  enjoyed.  Nor  will  he  soon  forget  the 
canoe  song  : Ltlet  tusilava  le  tan  mau^  leango  tusilava 
le  tan  mauf  Good  above  all  is  the  part  before,  bad 
above  all  is  the  part  behind.” 

During  our  stay  here  the  missionary  brig  Camden 
arrived  with  missionaries  for  this  station.  A few  days 
before  we  sailed,  all  hands  but  a quarter  watch  went  on 
shore  to  the  mission  house,  armed  with  bowie-knives  and 
pistols,  to  drill.  There  we  met  several  thousand  natives 
who  were  waiting  to  witness  the  performance.  Greatly 
astonished  and  wild  with  fear  they  watched  our  cutlass- 
exercises.  But  at  the  close,  when,  all  together,  we  dis- 
charged our  pistols  into  the  air,  they  fell  flat  on  the  ground 
and  kissed  the  earth.  Before  we  went  on  board  Mr. 
Williams  was  appointed  American  consul  for  the  Samoan 
group,  and  the  American  flag  was  hoisted  at  his  house. 


90 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


When  these  islands  were  first  discovered,  in  1678, 
they  were  estimated  to  have  a population  of  about  one 
hundred  thousand.  It  is  a most  singular  fact  that  the 
group  was  not  again  visited,  as  far  as  known,  by  any  ship 
from  the  civilized  world,  until  1778,  a hundred  years 
afterward,  when  the  Astrolabe  and  La  Perdiise  touched 
there  and  the  captain  and  part  of  the  crew  of  the  former 
were  barbarously  massacred  by  the  natives.  When  vis- 
ited by  the  missionaries,  in  1830,  from  frequent  wars 
among  themselves,  the  population  had  decreased  to  less 
than  sixty  thousand.  The  missionaries  found  two  white 
men  here.  One  of  them  was  Mr.  Daniel  French,  who 
remembered  me  when  a child,  to  whom  I have  previously 
referred.  The  Rev.  John  Williams  revisited  them  in 
1836,  in  the  Messenger  of  Peace ^ a small  vessel  of  about 
ninety  tons,  built  by  him  at  the  Society  Islands  out  of 
cocoanut  and  bread-fruit  trees.  He  was  accompanied 
by  a number  of  missionaries  for  this  station,  among  them 
Mr.  Harris. 

The  constellation  of  the  Pleiades,  though  small  its 
stars  and  pale  their  light,  is  of  wide  fame.  They  are 
called  by  Jack  before  the  mast  The  Seven  Sisters,” 
though  there  are  really  fourteen  of  them.  Their  appear- 
ance on  the  horizon  in  December  is  hailed  with  shell- 
music  and  rejoicing  by  the  natives  in  these  latitudes. 

Having  completed  our  survey  of  all  the  islands  of  this 
group,  on  the  loth  signal  was  made  for  the  squadron  to 
get  under  way.  Our  anchor  was  soon  catted,  and  sails 
hoisted  to  catch  the  gentle  breezes  of  the  Pacific.  In  a 
short  time  the  beautiful  port  of  Upolu  was  far  in  the 
distance.  On  the  12th  we  made  Uea  or  Wallis  Island. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


91 


Instead  of  one  island,  as  laid  down  on  the  chart,  there 
are  nine  separate  islands,  ranging  from  one  to  ten  miles 
in  circumference.  We  made  a running  survey  of  them. 
Next  day  we  made  Hoorn  Island,  discovered  in  1616  by 
Le  Maire.  The  highest  part  of  Wallis  Island  is  two 
thousand  five  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 
Leaving  Hoorn  Island,  we  made  all  sail  for  the  Southern 
Passage,  passing  within  fifty  miles  of  the  Fiji  group.  On 
the  15  th  we  were  in  the  Eastern  Hemisphere.  Since 
leaving  the  United  States  we  had  gained  a day,  by  our 
reckoning,  which  is  always  the  case  in  doubling  Cape 
Horn,  going  westward.  When  coming  round  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope,  eastward,  sailors  always  lose  a day. 

On  the  1 8th  we  made  Matthew’s  Rock.  It  is  about  a 
mile  in  circumference,  and  over  a thousand  feet  high. 
On  the  24th  we  had  a very  serious  storm  of  thunder  and 
lightning.  Our  conductors,  from  the  royal-mast-truck 
down  to  the  night-heads,  yard-arms,  and  mast-heads, 
were  all  illuminated  with  co7'po  santos.  All  hands  felt 
the  electric  shocks  more  or  less.  The  wind  blew  furi- 
ously all  night.  It  was  more  sublime  than  anything  I 
ever  experienced  in  the  Gulf  Stream.  On  the  26th  we 
made  Ball’s  Pyramid,  which  is  a large,  barren  rock 
uprisen  from  the  sea.  At  sunset  we  made  Port  Jackson 
Light,  and  lay  to  off  the  light-house  for  some  time  wait- 
ing for  a pilot.  None  answering  our  signal,  our  commo- 
dore acted  as  pilot  and  brought  the  squadron  up  to  the 
city.  About  eleven  o’clock  we  quietly  dropped  anchor 
in  the  midst  of  the  shipping,  without  any  of  the  pilots  or 
the  authorities  knowing  anything  about  our  arrival.  The 
good  people  of  Sydney  were  much  surprised  in  the 


92 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


morning,  and  indeed  frightened,  at  seeing  an  American 
squadron,  lying  in  their  harbor,  which  had  come  up  in 
the  night,  unknown  to  any  of  the  city  authorities.  Their 
fears  were  soon  allayed  when  they  learned  that  we  were 
merely  on  a scientific  expedition. 

The  morning  was  beautiful,  and  the  scene  which  met 
our  eyes  was  unlike  anything  we  had  hitherto  witnessed 
daring  our  voyage.  The  familiar  language  spoken,  and 
the  strong  resemblance  which  everything  bore  to  our 
own  homes,  gave  us  an  indescribable  feeling  of  pleasure. 
Not  long  before  our  arrival  it  had  been  debated  whether 
more  effectual  means  of  fortification  were  not  necessary 
for  the  harbor.  The  idea  of  this  being  needed  was  ridi- 
culed by  the  majority,  but  the  entrance  of  our  ships  by 
night  seemed  to  change  their  opinion,  for  we  might, 
after  firing  their  shipping  and  reducing  the  greater  part 
of  their  city  to  ashes,  have  effected  a retreat  before  day- 
light in  perfect  safety.  Since  then  they  have  built  sev- 
eral new  forts. 

The  Australian  Club  House  was  thrown  open  to  our 
officers,  and  balls  and  parties  were  given  in  their  honor. 
A few  days  after  our  arrival,  the  brig  Camden  arrived 
from  the  New  Hebrides,  when  we  learned  the  melan- 
choly intelligence  of  the  death  of  the  Rev.  John  Will- 
iams, who,  it  appears,  preached  his  last  sermon  on  board 
our  ship,  so  short  a time  before,  at  the  Samoan  group. 
Mr.  Cunningham  related  the  following  : After  leaving 
Pago  Pago,  they  placed  native  missionaries  at  Rotuma 
and  Totoona.  Mr.  Williams  landed  at  Tanna,  which 
they  found  in  a high  state  of  cultivation,  and  -were  hos- 
pitably received  by  the  natives.  These  were  Papuans, 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


93 


and  spoke  a language  very  much  like  that  of  the  Hervey 
Islanders.  At  Tanna  Samoan  missionaries  were  also  left, 
and  they  then  proceeded  to  Erromango.  Here  they 
found  a barren  country  and  a different  race  of  men  — 
black,  with  woolly  hair — who  did  not  comprehend  a 
word  of  any  language  known  to  the  missionaries.  The 
natives,  though  apparently  suspicious,  exhibited  no  signs 
of  actual  attack.  Mr.  Williams  with  Mr.  Harris,  Mr. 
Cunningham,  and  the  captain  of  the  brig  landed  and 
were  strolling  about  and  amusing  themselves  picking  up 
shells.  While  thus  engaged  they  had  separated  from 
each  other.  Mr.  Harris  and  Mr.  Williams  were  in 
advance  of  the  others.  Suddenly  the  war  shout  was 
heard,  and  Mr.  Harris  was  seen  running,  pursued  by  a 
crowd  of  natives.  He  was  soon  overtaken  by  them  and 
clubbed  to  death.  Mr.  Williams  then  turned  and  ran 
for  the  boat ; but  he  had  delayed  too  long,  and,  although 
he  had  reached  the  water,  was  followed  into  it  and  slain 
also.”  Mr.  Cunningham  and  the  captain  escaped  with 
great  difficulty,  and,  after  some  fruitless  attempts  to 
recover  the  bodies,  left  the  island.  Mr,  Cunningham 
was  of  the  opinion  that  the  attack  was  not  premeditated, 
but  arose  from  a desire  to  obtain  possession  of  the 
clothes  of  the  persons  massacred.  The  missionary  cause 
sustained  a great  loss  in  Mr.  Williams’s  death. 

Portions  of  the  island  of  Australia  were  visited  by  the 
Spaniards  as  early  as  the  year  1520.  The  Dutch,  when 
they  captured  it  in  the  year  1606,  named  it  New  Holland. 
When  the  English  took  possession  of  it  they  named  it 
New  South  Wales.  It  is  now  called  Australia.  It  was  to 
this  place  that  England  used  to  transport  her  convicts, 


94 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


and  from  this  fact  it  was  named  the  pickpockets’  quarter 
of  the  globe.  Sydney  is  its  capital  and  seat  of  govern- 
ment. George  Street  is  the  Broadway  of  Sydney.  The 
Cove  — God  save  the  name  ! — is  the  old  Ann  Street  of 
Boston ; South  Street  of  Philadelphia ; River  of  Styx, 
Norfolk ; Sausage  Row,  Cincinnati ; Five  Points  or  the 
Hook  of  New  York;  Hog  Lane  of  Canton.  In  fact,  it 
is  more  than  the  Ratcliffe  Highway  of  London.  There 
are  plenty  of  old  Fagins  and  old  Fagin’s  pupils  living 
here.  Here  you  will  find  all  nations  mixed  up  together, 
eating,  drinking,  singing,  dancing,  gambling,  quarreling, 
and  fighting.  Inns  abound  here,  for  which  the  English, 
you  know,  are  celebrated.  Here  is  the  Sailors’  Inn,  the 
Soldiers’  Inn,  the  Ladies’  Inn,  Punch-Bowl  Inn,  Sham- 
rock Inn,  Thistle  Inn,  the  Ship’s  Inn,  King’s  Arms  Inn, 
and  others  too  numerous  to  mention,  not  forgetting  the 
Dew  Drop  Inn. 

One  day  a boat’s  crew  of  us  dropped  into  the  Jolly 
Sailors’  Inn.  It  was  a large  square  room.  On  either 
side  were  a number  of  tables,  over  which  hung  various 
national  flags.  Under  the  Russian  Bear  were  seated  a 
boat’s  crew,  singing  the  Russian  national  song.  It  was 
given  with  a will.  When  they  had  finished,  an  English 
boat’s  crew,  sitting  under  the  Union  Jack,  sang : 

“ When  Britain  first  at  Heaven’s  command 
Arose  from  out  the  azure  main, 

This  was  the  charter  of  the  land, 

And  guardian  angels  sang  the  strain : 

Rule,  Britannia  ! Britannia  rules  the  waves ! 

Britons  never,  never  shall  be  slaves ! ” 

This  was  sung  several  times  in  true-blue  style. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


95 


At  the  French  table,  sitting  under  the  Tri-color  of 
France,  the  French  boat’s  crew  sang  the  Marseillaise 
Hymn  : 

“Ye  sons  of  France,  awake  to  glory ! 

Hark,  hark  ! what  myriads  bid  you  rise  ! 

Your  children,  wives,  and  grandsires  hoary; 

Behold  their  tears,  and  hear  their  cries ! 

Behold  their  tears,  and  hear  their  cries ! 

Shall  hateful  tyrants,  mischief  breeding. 

With  hireling  hosts,  a ruffian  band. 

Affright  and  desolate  the  land. 

While  peace  and  liberty  lie  bleeding? 

To  arms,  to  arms,  ye  brave ! 

Th’  avenging  sword  unsheathe ! 

March  on,  march  on,  all  hearts  resolved 
On  liberty  or  death  ! 

“ O Liberty  ! can  man  resign  thee. 

Once  having  felt  thy  generous  flame? 

Can  dungeons,  bolts,  and  bars  confine  thee  ? 

Or  whips  thy  noble  spirit  tame  ? 

Or  whips  thy  noble  spirit  tame? 

Too  long  the  world  has  wept,  bewailing 

That  Falsehood’s  dagger  tyrants  vdeld; 

But  Freedom  is  our  sword  and  shield. 

And  all  their  arts  are  unavailing.” 

This  was  grand.  When  the  French  had  finished  sing- 
ing, our  boat’s  crew,  sitting  under  the  Stars  and  Stripes, 
gave  them 

Yankee  Doodle. 

Y e gallant  sons  of  liberty,  you  bravely  have  defended 
Y"our  country’s  rights  by  land  and  sea,  and  to  her  cause  attended. 
With  Yankee  Doodle,  doodle,  doo,  Yankee  Doodle  dandy. 

Our  tars  will  show  the  haughty  foe  Columbia’s  sons  are  handy. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


Upon  the  ocean’s  wide  domain  our  tars  are  firm  and  true,  sirs, 

And  Freedom’s  cause  they  well  maintain,  with  Yankee  Doodle  doo, 
sirs. 

The  Fourth  day  of  July,  ’tis  said, — that  day  will  Britain  rue,  sirs, — 
An  indepen:lent  tune  we  played,  called  Yankee  Doodle  doo,  sirs. 

Columbia’s  sons  then  did  declare  they  would  be  independent. 

And  for  King  George  they  would  not  care,  nor  yet  for  his  descend- 
ant. 

The  regent  thought  he ’d  send  a fleet  of  ships  to  take  our  few,  sirs. 
But  then  to  sea  our  sailors  went,  playing  Yankee  Doodle  doo,  sirs. 

The  British  tars  think  that  they  can  whip  Yankees  two  to  one,  sirs. 
But  only  give  us  man  for  man, — they’ll  see  what  we  can  do,  sirs. 

That  our  tars  care  no  more  for  France  than  Britain  is  most  true,  sirs. 
They  can  make  any  nation  dance  to  Yankee  Doodle  doo,  sirs. 

After  this  we  spliced  the  mainbrace  ” all  together,  the 
English  drinking  their  ’alf  and  ’alf  out  of  pewter  mugs, 
the  French  drinking  their  claret  out  of  very  thin  glasses, 
while  our  Russian  shipmates  and  ourselves  drank  some- 
thing harder  out  of  thick  glasses  which  were  very  small 
at  the  bottom.  Although  the  Russians  had  sweet,  soft 
voices,  their  national  song  is,  like  Rule,  Britannia,” 
very  tame,  and  extraordinarily  short.  The  Marseillaise 
Hymn,  however,  made  up  for  both.  It  was  inspiring. 

I have  never  been  in  a place  where  there  existed  such 
a low  state  of  society,  and  where  so  much  drunkenness 
was  to  be  seen.  There  were  not  only  half- dressed,  dirty 
soldiers,  but  dirty  and  drunken  women,  staggering  along 
the  public  streets,  brawling  and  fighting,  or  being  carried 
off  by  the  police,  who,  by  the  way,  were  the  proprietors 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


97 


of  many  of  the  rum  shops.  It  was  a curious,  but  not  an 
uncommon  sight,  to  see  a big,  burly,  thick-lipped  negro, 
black  as  a coal,  walking  on  the  street,  arm  in  arm,  with 
a beautiful  English  lady,  both  neatly  dressed.  Although 
seeming  to  be  rude,  one  could  not  help  stopping  and 
staring  at  such  sights  and  noticing  the  great  contrast. 

The  convicts,  on  their  arrival,  were  let  out  to  con- 
tractors, and  might  be  seen  on  the  streets  with  iron 
chains  attached  to  their  ankles,  and  dragging  after  them, 
or  with  large,  heavy,  iron  shackles  on  their  legs.  The 
chain-gang  was  composed  of  a number  of  convicts,  who 
were  chained  together,  two  and  two.  These  were  driven 
in  gangs  aggregating  from  fifty  to  a hundred.  The  gov- 
ernment was  compelled  to  keep  several  regiments  of 
soldiers  and  a large  force  of  mounted  police  at  this  place 
to  keep  the  convicts  in  subjection.  Many  of  them  were 
hired  out  to  the  settlers,  to  work  during  their  terms  of 
transportation,  or  until  they  were  pardoned.  Then  a 
ticket  of  leave  was  granted  them.  Some  of  them  went 
to  work  for  themselves,  others  sought  the  bush  and  there 
robbed  and  murdered  all  who  came  within  their  reach. 
The  latter  were  called  bushrangers  or  outlaws,  and  might 
be  shot  wherever  found.  Quite  a number  were  hanged 
after  our  arrival  in  port.  A very  few  became  good  citi- 
zens. One  died  recently  who  was  worth  a thousand 
pounds  sterling. 

I once  heard  a lecturer,  who  had  spent  several  weeks 
in  Australia,  say  that  her  cities  were  far  ahead  of  Boston 
in  morals.  It  is  not  many  years  since  complaint  was 
made  to  the  government  against  Governor  McQuarrie. 
In  reply  to  the  complaint  the  governor  stated  that  there 


g8  Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


were  two  distinct  classes  of  people  in  Australia, — those 
who  had  been  convicted,  and  those  who  ought  to  be. 
'rhe  lecturer’s  remarks,  considering  his  short  residence 
in  the  cities  of  Australia,  remind  one  of  a certain  English 
lord  who  visited  this  country.  While  walking  down 
Broadway  with  a friend,  he  inquired  if  there  was  not 
such  a place  in  town  as  the  Bowery. 

‘‘There  is,  and  we  will  take  a walk  down  there,”  was 
the  reply. 

Arrived  there,  the  noble  lord  made  known  his  wish, 
which  was  to  see  a Bowery  boy.  Mr.  Seward  pointed 
out  Mose,  on  the  other  side  of  the  way,  leaning  against 
a lamp- post,  with  his  right  foot  flat  on  the  sidewalk,  his 
left  resting  over  the  right,  his  trousers  rolled  up  to  show 
his  red-topped  boots.  He  wore  a red  flannel  shirt,  and 
on  his  head  was  perched  a tall,  black,  beaver  hat  nearly 
covered  with  crape.  His  hair  hung  in  soap-locks  down 
his  cheeks,  and  a long-nine  cigar  was  in  his  mouth. 
After  eyeing  him  some  little  time,  his  lordship  said  : 

“ I will  go  over  and  speak  with  him.” 

“You  had  better  not,”  replied  his  friend. 

He  went,  however,  while  Mr.  Seward  walked  slowly 
up  the  Bowery.  When  he  came  abreast  of  Mose,  the 
Bowery  boy,  he  scanned  him  from  head  to  foot ; then, 
very  politely  raising  his  hat,  he  said  : 

“ I am  looking  for  Broadway,  governor.” 

Carelessly  withdrawing  his  cigar,  and  puffing  a volume 
of  smoke  in  his  lordship’s  face,  Mose  said  : 

“Why  in don’t  you  find  it,  then?” 

On  his  return  to  England,  my  lord  published  a book 
entitled  “The  Bowery  and  Bowery  Boys.” 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


99 


While  on  a short  expedition  in  the  country  with  a sur- 
veying party  we  saw  many  of  the  natives,  the  Corroborys. 
I'hey  were  of  medium  height.  The  color  of  their  skin 
was  a dark  chocolate  without  any  cream  in  it  — a sort 
of  reddish  black.  Their  hair  was  fine,  black,  and  silky, 
and  inclined  to  curl.  They  were  more  hairy  than  the 
whites.  They  were  slender  in  form,  and  had  long  legs 
and  arms.  Their  foreheads  were  narrow ; their  eyes 
deep-set,  small,  and  black ; their  noses  much  flattened 
at  the  upper  part,  between  the  eyes,  and  broad  at  the 
nostrils.  The  forming  of  the  latter  feature  was  done  by 
the  mothers  during  infancy.  Their  features  were  uglier 
than  those  of  the  Terra  del  Fuegians,  but  they  had  much 
more  manly  forms.  They  were  very  haughty  and  inde- 
pendent, having  no  masters  or  chiefs  over  them.  They 
considered  one  man  among  them  as  good  as  another,  as 
long  as  he  behaved  himself.  Their  huts  were  more  sim- 
ple and  exposed  than  those  of  the  Terra  del  Fuegians. 
Two  forked  sticks  were  driven  into  the  ground,  and  on 
these  was  laid  horizontally  the  limb  of  a tree,  as  a ridge- 
pole. The  sides  of  the  roof  were  composed  of  strips  of 
thick  bark,  extending  from  the  ridge-pole  to  the  ground, 
covered  first  with  leaves,  and  then  with  the  skins  of  the 
kangaroo  and  other  animals.  The  scanty  clothing  which 
they  wore  was  made  from  the  skins  of  animals.  They 
lived  on  herbs,  fowls,  and  the  flesh  of  the  kangaroo, 
which  they  killed  with  spears,  and  sometimes  with  the 
boomerang. 

Their  spears  were  about  ten  feet  long,  very  slender, 
made  of  hard  wood,  and  barbed  at  the  end.  The 
boomerang  is  a flat  stick  about  three  feet  long,  two  inches 


lOO 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


wide,  and  half  an  inch  thick,  crooked  or  bent  in  the 
middle.  It  was  a very  formidable  weapon  in  the  hands 
of  a native.  They  could  throw  it  and  hit  an  object 
behind  a tree  which  was  behind  the  thrower.  An  attempt 
to  throw  it  by  any  one  unaccustomed  to  its  use  might 
result  injuriously.  It  was  used  both  in  war  and  the 


NATIVE  THROWING  THE  BOOMERANG. 


chase,  and  was  peculiar  to  the  natives  of  Australia,  no 
other  tribe  or  nation  having  anything  bearing  the 
slightest  resemblance  to  it. 

We  witnessed  one  of  their  Corrobory  dances.  It  was 
held  in  a little  clearing  near  the  woods,  close  to  their 
huts,  and  near  a fire.  About  twenty  natives,  in  quick 
succession,  came  out  of  the  woods,  their  dark  bodies 
marked  with  pipe  clay  to  represent  skeletons,  with  white 


CORROBORY  DANCE 


i 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


lOI 


lines  drawn  across  the  ribs,  legs,  arms,  and  head.  They 
looked  hideous,  frightful,  and  ugly.  It  was  an  awful 
spectacle  to  look  upon  when  they  stood  in  line,  with  the 
dark  green  foliage  behind  and  a bright  fire  before,  and 
strangely  suggestive  of  Hades. 

Before  beginning  the  dance  they  stood  still  and  mo- 
tionless for  a long  time,  staring  very  wildly  at  us  ; then  all 


NATIVE  DANCE. 


of  a sudden  they  jumped  up  and  yelled  like  so  many  hy- 
enas. They  kept  on  jumping  up  and  down,  throwing  their 
whole  arms  and  legs  about  as  if  they  had  no  ankle  or 
knee  joints  or  elbows.  There  was  no  balance  to  partners, 
up  and  down  the  center,  all  hands  round,  or  fore  and 
aft  with  them ; but  they  would  suddenly,  one  after  the 
other,  vanish  from  sight,  which  was  done  simply  by  their 
turning  around,  when  their  dusky  forms  would  become 


J02 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


invisible.  The  dance  ended  with  a very  loud  Ho-ho- 
ho  I”  way  down  in  their  throats. 

'Fhe  woods  here  are  charming.  There  is  very  little 
underbrush,  and  the  trees  grow  straight  up.  There  are 
many  gum  trees  among  them.  Their  tops  are  alive  with 
parrots  and  paroquets,  and  other  birds  of  rich  plumage 
may  be  seen  winging  their  graceful  forms  in  the  air  or 
flying  from  one  tree  to  another.  There  are  many  hum- 
ming-birds here,  and  bell-birds  whose  notes  sound  like 
the  clink  of  a stone  hammer.  It  is  generally  believed 
that  all  Indians  are  very  fond  of  dogs,  but  these  natives 
never  have  any,  though  there  are  many  wild  dogs  here. 

A great  variety  of  entertainments — balls,  parties,  din- 
ners, and  late  suppers — was  given  our  officers  by  the 
governor  and  other  officials.  They  and  the  American 
consul  often  visited  our  ships.  They  were  greatly  sur- 
prised when  they  learned  that  we  were  bound  to  the  south 
polar  regions.  They  said  that  our  ships  were  too  frail 
to  cruise  among  icebergs ; but  that  we  were  young 
Americans,  foolhardy  and  reckless,  and  they  supposed 
that  we  would  go  on.  In  fact,  our  ships  were  not  built, 
like  the  Russian  and  the  English  ships,  for  the 
express  purpose  of  cruising  among  the  ice,  but  we  had 
been  ordered  to  go,  and  we  obeyed  orders.  All  the 
ships  of  the  squadron  having  undergone  the  necessary 
repairs,  such  as  calking,  overhauling,  setting  up  our 
standing  rigging,  reefing  new  running  gear,  etc.,  all 
hands  put  in  a hard  day’s  work  on  Christmas,  and  then 
we  were  ready. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


On  the  morning  of  the  26th  of  December  all  hands 
were  called  to  weigh  anchor,  when  we  made  sail  and  stood 
out  to  sea.  In  passing  the  English  ship  Druid,  Lord 
John  Russell  commander,  we  were  greeted  with  three 
hearty  cheers,  which  were  returned  just  as  heartily  from 
all  our  ships’  crews.  After  breakfast  alt  hands  were 
called  to  muster,  when  the  commodore  thanked  us  for 
our  good  behavior  while  lying  in  port.  He  then  told 
us  that  we  must  look  forward  to  a dangerous  cruise,  and 
said  a few  words  as  to  what  our  country  and  he  himself 
expected  of  us  in  aiding  him  in  the  endeavor  to  promote 
health  and  comfort,  and  as  to  the  necessity  of  economy 
in  our  rations  and  clothing. 

When  we  were  piped  down,  we  took  advantage  of  the 
fine  weather  by  sending  up  our  stump  to’-gallant- 
mast,  bending  new  sails,  and  building  little  hurricane 
houses  of  rough  boards  over  the  companion-ways  for 
the  exclusion  of  the  cold  air.  Drying  stoves  were  slung 
between  decks  to  make  it  more  comfortable,  and  sev- 
eral barometers  were  put  up  in  various  places  with  orders 
given  to  keep  the  temperature  at  60°.  By  the  ist  of 
January  all  the  decks  had  been  cleared  of  all  loose  and 
useless  articles,  and  everything  snugly  stowed  away. 


104 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


Our  battery  was  made  doubly  secure,  and  everything  put 
in  good  order  for  housekeeping  or  rough  and  cold 
weather. 

This  was  one  of  those  days  familiarly  known  on  sea 
and  land  as  a weather  breeder.”  The  sea  was  placid, 
but  the  sky  lowering,  and  had  a wintry  appearance  to 
which  we  had  been  strangers  for  a long  time.  We  had 
been  sailing  rapidly  in  a due  south  course  for  several 
days  with  a rising  sea,  and  the  weather  had  been  misty. 

January  5.  At  muster  this  morning  three  stowaways 
made  their  appearance  aft  at  the  mainmast,  and  surren- 
dered themselves.  They  looked  anything  but  convict- 
like, for  they  were  dressed  in  the  rig  of  our  crew,  with 
blue  trousers,  blue  flannel  shirts,  black  silk  neckerchiefs, 
and  black  tarpaulin  hats.  The  commodore  was  much 
surprised  at  their  appearance,  and  informed  us  that  we 
were  mistaken  if  we  expected  that  they  would  be  har- 
bored on  board  of  his  ship,  and  declared  that  if  the  ship 
was  so  fortunate  as  to  weather  the  southern  cruise,  he 
should  do  his  duty  by  sending  them  back  to  Sydney  to 
be  given  over  to  the  authorities.  The  stowaways  were 
then  entered  on  the  ship’s  rolls  for  rations  only,  and 
stationed  on  the  afterguard. 

January  6.  We  were  favored  with  a view  of  the  sun 
and  found  our  latitude  to  be  53°  south.  This  day 
we  rigged  up  our  crow’s  nest  at  the  foretop-mast-head. 
During  the  night  we  double  reefed  our  topsails.  r 

January  7.  Weather  misty  and  squally,  with  a heavy 
sea  running. 

January  8.  The  air  very  raw  and  chilly.  None  of 
the  rest  of  the  squadron  in  sight. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


lOy 


January  9.  Weather  more  moderate,  and  set  top- 
gallant sails. 

January  10.  By  observation  found  our  latitude  to  be 
61°.  This  day  we  made  the  first  iceberg.  We  sailed 
close  to  it  and  found  it  to  be  a mile  long  and  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  out  of  the  water.  It  was  much  worn 
by  the  action  of  the  sea  and  by  frequent  storms,  and 
resembled  the  ruins  of  some  Gothic  church  or  ancient 
castle.  A second  berg  was  met  some  thirty  miles  and  a 


THE  FIRST  ICEBERGS. 


third  some  fifty  miles  south  of  the  first.  After  these  we 
passed  many  of  various  sizes  and  shapes,  some  inclined 
to  the  horizon,  others  square  with  flat  tops. 

January  ii.  Wind  from  the  nor’west,  with  a light 
mist.  As  the  icebergs  increased  in  numbers  the  sea 
became  smooth  and  we  were  often  compelled  to  change 
our  course  to  steer  clear  of  them. 

January  12.  This  morning  entered  a deep  bay.  At 
six  o’clock  in  the  afternoon  we  had  reached  its  extreme 
limits  and  found  that  our  further  progress  was  checked 


io6 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


by  a compact  barrier  of  ice,  inclosing  large,  square  ice- 
bergs. This  barrier  consisted  of  masses,  closely  packed, 
and  of  all  varieties,  shapes,  and  sizes.  We  hove  to 
until  daylight.  The  night  was  fine,  and  everything 
seemed  wrapped  in  slumber.  Ay,  everything  was  silent 
but  the  distant  swash,  swash  of  the  waters  against  the 
ice.  Our  latitude  was  63  ° south.  There  was  every 
appearance  of  land  at  the  south.  It  took  all  day  to  beat 
out  of  the  bay.  For  several  days  the  weather  had  been 
foggy. 

January  16.  Peacock  and  Porpoise  in  sight.  High 
mountains  were  plainly  seen  at  the  south  from  all  -the 
ships. 

January  17.  Weather  fair.  At  twelve  o’clock  we 
were  in  66°  south.  Many  whales  were  playing  around 
the  ship,  and  some  large  seals  and  penguins  were  on  the 
ice.  Land  in  sight. 

January  18.  Weather  variable.  Occasional  snow- 
scpialls  and  mists.  Water  of  an  olive  green. 

January  19.  Found  ourselves  in  a deep  bay  this 
morning.  Land  could  be  plainly  seen  from  the  ship’s 
deck.  It  bore  sou’east  and  sou’west.  It  averaged 
from  two  to  three  thousand  feet  high.  The  mountain 
ridges  looked  dark  and  gray.  Two  volumes  of  smoke 
were  seen  rising  from  the  mountains. 

January  20.  At  two  o’clock  this  morning  the  sun  and 
moon  appeared  above  the  horizon  at  the  same  time,  but 
in  opposite  directions.  The  moon  was  full.  The  effect 
of  the  sun  shedding  his  deep  golden  rays  on  the  distant 
icy  mountains  and  the  surrounding  icebergs  was  beautiful 
beyond  description.  We  witnessed  a sea-fight  between 


INTIVIENT  BAY, 


'..I,: 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast 


107 


a whale  and  one  of  his  many  enemies,  a killer.  The  sea 
was  quite  smooth.  A short  distance  from  the  ship  was 
seen  a large  whale,  lashing  the  smooth  sea  into  a perfect 
foam,  and  trying  to  disengage  himself  from  his  enemy. 
As  they  drew  near  the  ship  the  struggle  became  more 
violent.  The  killer,  which  was  about  twenty  feet  long, 
held  the  whale  by  the  lower  jaw.  The  huge  monster 
seemed  to  be  in  great  agony,  and  spouted  blood.  Sud- 
denly the  whale  threw  himself  out  of  the  water,  at  full 
length,  the  killer  hanging  to  his  jaw  ; but  all  his  flounder- 
ings  and  turning  flukes  were  useless,  as  the  killer  still 
maintained  his  hold  and  was  getting  the  advantage.  He 
soon  worried  the  whale  to  death.  After  the  battle,  the 
ship  appeared  to  be  floating  in  a sea  of  blood.  During 
the  last  few  days  we  saw  many  beautiful  snow-white 
petrels  either  up  in  the  freezing  air  or  on  the  ice-floes. 

January  22.  Weather  foggy.  This  morning  we  found 
bottom  with  eight  hundred  fathoms  of  line.  The  arming 
was  covered  with  slate-colored  mud.  In  the  afternoon 
we  took  a second  cast  of  the  lead  and  found  bottom  at 
three  hundred  and  twenty  fathoms.  The  bottom  same 
as  before  — slate-colored  mud.  The  Peacock,  while  box- 
ing off  the  ship  from  some  ice  under  her  bows,  made 
a stern  board  which  brought  her  in  contact  with  an  ice- 
berg with  such  force  as  to  crush  her  stern  and  larboard 
quarter  boats,  and  carry  away  her  bulwarks  to  the  gang- 
ways. While  getting  out  the  ice  anchor  to  heave  the 
ship  off,  she  gave  a rebound  which  carried  away  her  rud- 
der and  all  the  stanchions  to  the  gangway.  This  second 
shock  caused  the  ship  to  cant  to  starboard,  when  both 
jibs  were  given  to  her  just  in  time  to  carry  her  clear 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


io8 


of  the  iceberg.  She  had  not  moved  more  than  a dozen 
lengths  before  a huge  mass  of  ice  fell  from  the  iceberg  in 
her  wake.  If  this  had  happened  twenty  minutes  before, 
it  would  have  crushed  the  ship  to  atoms.  As  soon  as  we 
gained  the  open  sea,  Captain  Hudson  very  wisely  put  the 
ship’s  head  for  Sydney,  where  she  arrived  in  a shattered 
and  sinking  condition.  For  several  days  the  weather 
had  been  foggy. 

January  26.  Hove  to  alongside  of  an  iceberg,  low- 
ered a boat,  and  took  in  a supply  of  ice.  Filled  several 
of  our  tanks  with  it. 


TABULAR  ICEBERG. 


January  27.  Weather  fair.  Wind  from  the  sou’-sou’- 
west.  All  day  working  the  ship  out  of  an  ice-floe.  A 
long  row  of  tabular  icebergs  were  in  sight  from  the  south. 
Latitude  64  ° i ' south. 

January  28.  Weather  fair.  We  were  now  surrounded 
by  many  tabular  icebergs,  from  half  a mile  to  three  miles 
in  length.  We  had  run  some  forty  miles  through  them, 
when  we  made  high  land  ahead,  eighteen  or  twenty 
miles  to  the  other  side  of  the  ice  barrier.  We  hove  the 
lead  and  found  bottom  at  thirty  fathoms.  Coarse  black 
sand  covered  the  arming. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast.  log 

At  twelve  o’clock  the  weather  began  to  thicken,  and 
the  breeze  to  freshen,  when  we  stood  out  of  the  bay. 

At  five  o’clock  all  hands  were  called  to  close-reef  top- 
sails. The  reef  points  were  frozen  so  stiif  that  we  could 
not  knot  them.  In  getting  spinning-lines  around  the 
sails  several  of  the  crew  were  so  chilled  and  benumbed 


THE  VINCENNES  IN  A GALE. 

by  the  bitter  cold  that  we  had  to  sling  them  in  bowlines, 
drag  them  from  the  yard,  and  lower  them  on  deck. 

At  eight  o’clock  the  ship  was  under  her  storm  sails. 
It  was  bitterly  cold,  and  every  spray  that  touched  the 
ship  was  converted  into  ice.  At  four  bells  all  hands  were 
called  to  work  ship.  We  were  in  a high  southern  latitude, 
on  an  unknown  coast,  a terrific  gale  blowing  from  the 
south,  accompanied  by  a blinding  snow-storm,  a nar- 
row channel  to  navigate,  and  surrounded  by  icebergs. 
Such  was  our  situation  ; and  all  that  we  could  do  was  to  be 


no 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


ready  for  any  emergency,  and  to  have  all  hands  at  their 
regular  stations,  while  the  good  ship  was  being  driven  by 
the  fury  of  the  gale.  Suddenly  many  voices  cried  out 
from  the  to’-gallant  forecastle,  Icebergs  on  the 
weather  bow  !”  then,  ^^On  the  lee  bow,  and  abeam  !” 
Destruction  seemed  certain  as  we  dashed  on,  expecting 
the  almost  inevitable  crash.  Return  we  could  not,  for 
we  had  just  passed  large  bergs  to  leeward.  The  ship 
was  kept  on  her  course.  Louder  and  more  furious  raged 
the  gale.  Now  the  lee  guns  were  under  water  ; the  next 
instant  the  ship  rose  upright  on  an  even  keel. 

At  last  we  entered  a narrow  passage  between  two 
monster  icebergs  that  were  gradually  closing  together. 
Every  officer  and  man  was  at  his  station  with  bated 
breath  and  blanched  face  ; yet  true  to  discipline  there 
they  stood  like  specters.  We  felt  that  we  were  death- 
doomed.  One  thought  of  the  dear  ones  at  home,  a brief 
prayer  to  our  God,  then  we  nerved  our  hearts  to  meet 
our  fate.  But  you  know  the  song  tells  us  that  there’s 
a sweet  little  cherub  that  sits  up  aloft”  to  keep  watch 
over  poor  Jack;  and  on  this  occasion  of  extreme  dan- 
ger, Providence  was  indeed  kind.  As  our  gallant  ship 
sailed  onward  a glimmer  of  hope  arose,  and  our  hearts 
grew  lighter  and  lighter  as  we  heard  the  whistling  of  the 
gale  grow  louder  and  louder  over  our  heads,  while  we 
gradually  emerged  from  the  passage.  The  suspense  we 
endured  while  making  our  way  between  those  two  icebergs 
can  be  better  imagined  than  described.  It  was  some- 
thing terrible,  and,  as  we  dashed  along  in  clear  water, 
we  felt  that  we  had  escaped  an  awful  death,  and  thanked 
God  in  our  hearts  for  our  preservation. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


in 


The  mean  temperature  between  decks  was  about  40  o. 
In  severe  weather  hot  coffee  was  served  out  to  the  crew. 
We  had  watch  and  watch,  but  it  was  mostly,  All  hands 
reef  topsails,”  ‘^Shorten  sail,”  Make  sail,”  or  Work 
ship,”  the  whole  twenty-four  hours.  The  commodore 
seemed  to  be  on  deck  all  the  time,  and  how  he  managed 
to  sleep  was  a mystery. 

January  30.  The  sun  rose  in  great  brilliancy  this 
morning,  and  all  was  quiet  save  a brisk  breeze  blowing 
from  the  eastward.  All  sail  was  set,  making  for  a bay 
bearing  sou’west.  By  noon  we  had  reached  its  extreme 
limits.  A barrier  of  ice  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high 
prevented  our  further  progress  south.  Thirty  or  forty 
miles  inland,  behind  the  barrier,  mountains  could  be 
seen  from  two  to  three  thousand  feet  high  ; also  smoke 
as  from  a volcano.  Rocks  were  also  seen  several  feet 
out  of  the  water,  with  seals  basking  on  them.  This  bay 
was  named  for  our  signal  quartermaster,  Piner’s  Bay. 
It  is  situated  in  latitude  66°  south,  longitude  140° 
east.  The  wind  had  been  freshening  and  there  was  too 
much  at  this  time  to  tack,  so  we  luffed  the  ship  up  into 
the  wind  and  wore  her  short  round  on  her  heel.  At 
noon  the  wind  had  increased  to  a gale,  and  by  one 
o’clock  we  were  reduced  to  storm  sails,  with  our  to’- 
gallant  yards  on  deck.  This,  like  the  last  gale,  was  an 
old-fashioned  blinding  snow-storm,  and  the  sea  we 
experienced  short  and  disagreeable,  but  nothing  to  be 
compared  with  the  first  gale.  The  snow  had  the  same 
steely  or  cutting  quality  as  in  the  first  gale,  and  seemed 
as  if  armed  with  icicles  or  needles. 

January  31.  No  moderation  of  the  weather.  At  one 


1 12 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


o’clock  a field  of  ice  close  under  our  lee.  Wore  ship 
instantly  and  just  in  time  to  avoid  coming  into  contact 
with  it.  After  lasting  nearly  thirty  hours  the  gale  abated, 
and  then  we  made  sail. 

February  2.  Found  ourselves  sixty  miles  to  the  west- 
ward of  Filler’s  Bay. 

February  3,  4,  and  5.  Foggy,  chilly,  and  uncom- 
fortable. Our  sick  list  increasing  rapidly. 

February  6.  The  same  thick  weather.  The  sailors 
are  much  afflicted,  here  in  these  cold  regions,  with  salt- 
water boils. 

February  7.  Weather  much  pleasanter.  Sailed  all 
day  along  a perpendicular,  icy  barrier,  one  hundred  and 
fifty  to  two  hundred  feet  high,  with  high  land  behind  it. 

February  8.  Weather  the  same  as  yesterday.  The 
night  very  unpleasant. 

February  9.  Another  fair  and  pleasant  day.  At 
midnight  we  had  a splendid  display  of  the  ain^oi'a  aus- 
tralis. It  extended  around  the  northern  horizon  and 
was  very  brilliant,  glowing  with  all  the  colors  of  the  rain- 
bow. This  continued  about  half  an  hour. 

February  10.  Weather  fair,  with  glorious  sunshine. 
This  gave  us  a chance  to  air  the  ship  and  dry  our  wet 
clothes. 

February  ii.  Fair  and  pleasant. 

February  12.  Sailed  through  a great  deal  of  floe  ice. 
Came  up  with  a solid  barrier  which  prevented  our  fur- 
ther progress.  Land  could  be  seen  twenty  or  thirty 
miles  distant.  The  air  was  very  clear  and  the  water 
smooth.  We  landed  on  an  iceberg ; and  in  a valley  at 
the  foot  of  a knoll,  by  cutting  through  a thin  skim  of  ice, 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast.  1 1 } 


we  found  a pond  of  delicious  water.  AVe  were  provided 
with  leather  bags  for  the  purpose  of  watering  the  ship. 
We  filled  these  with  water,  and,  carrying  them  on  board, 
filled  several  of  our  tanks.  This  iceberg  was  three  miles 
in  circumference.  Imagine  an  iceberg  three  times  larger 
than  Boston  Common,  afloat,  and  drifting  in  the  water. 
Such  was  the  fact,  however,  and  some  icebergs  are  much 
larger.  This  one  had  at  some  time  been  aground,  and 
had  turned  over,  for  we  found  on  it  heaps  of  stones, 
pebbles,  gravel,  and  mud,  where  we  landed.  We  saw 
several  large  boulders  or  rocks  imbedded  in  it.  AVhat 
was  exposed  to  view  of  one  of  them  would  probably 
weigh  eight  or  ten  tons.  We  obtained  many  specimens 
of  the  stones  and  pebbles.  They  were  of  basalt  and  red 
sandstone.  These  specimens  from  the  Antarctic  Con- 
tinent were  in  great  demand  during  the  remainder  of  our 
cruise.  We  had  a jolly  time  while  on  this  iceberg,  slid- 
ing, snowballing  one  another,  and  playing  with  the  pen- 
guins and  seals.  As  we  had  not  got  our  shore  legs” 
on  we  received  many  a fall  on  the  ice,  which,  we  found, 
was  very  hard  and  flinty,  and  caused  us  to  see  a great 
many  stars.  I never  saw  wild  sea-animals  so  tame  and 
innocent-looking  as  these  seals.  Three  or  four  of  us 
caught  hold  of  an  old  sea-horse’s  tail,  and  he  dragged  us 
quite  a distance.  When  we  reached  the  edge  of  the 
berg  we  let  go  and  he  tumbled  into  the  water.  He  soon 
came  up  again  with  two  or  three  others,  looked  all  about, 
and  seemed  much  surprised  at  not  finding  us  in  the 
water  with  him.  We  captured  several  of  these  seals, 
called  sea-lions,  sea-elephants,  or  sea-tigers,  and  they 
form  part  of  our  collection  at  the  Smithsonian  Institute, 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


1 14 


at  Washington,  D.  C.  They  are  about  ten  feet  long,  and 
nearly  as  large  round  as  a horse. 

There  were  many  fine  fur  seals  in  the  Antarctic  Ocean. 
It  is,  however,  a singular  fact  that  there  are  no  walruses 
or  auks  seen  in  the  Antarctic  seas.  On  many  of  the 
icebergs  were  armies  of  penguins.  They  are  about 
twenty-four  inches  high.  Some  of  them  are  dark  gray, 
nearly  black,  with  orange  or  light-gray  breasts.  On 
each  side  of  their  heads  is  a bunch  of  bright-yellow 
feathers.  They  stand  erect  and  appear  very  dignified 
and  soldier-like.  They  march  in  companies  or  regiments, 
following  after  the  drum- major  or  king- penguin,  who 
turns  around  at  times  to  take  a view  of  his  old  comrades. 
They  reminded  me  of  a little  incident  which  I will 
relate. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  Mexican  War,  as  ship- 
ping was  dull,  and  I felt  very  patriotic,  I shipped  in  one 
of  the  soldiers’  companies.  The  following  is  one  of  the 
notices  which  I received:  ^Wou,  being  enrolled  as  a 
soldier  in  the  company  of  volunteers  to  be  annexed  to  the 
first  regiment  of  light  infantry,  are  hereby  ordered  to  ap- 
pear at  the  usual  place  of  parade  of  said  company  in  Fan- 
iieil  Hall,  on  Wednesday,  the  1 7th  of  June,  at  nine  o’clock 
in  the  forenoon,  as  the  law  directs,  for  military  duty. 
By  order  of  Alonzo  Coy,  commanding  officer  of  said 
company.  Dated  at  Boston  this  8th  day  of  June,  1846.” 
We  were  playing  soldier  finely,  when  the  commanding 
officer  ordered  us  to  ground  arms.”  Instantly  a great, 
clumsy  soldier  on  my  larboard  side”  grounded  his  big, 
heavy  gun  right  on  my  toes.  I gave  an  awful  shriek 
that  frightened  the  whole  regiment.  There  were  no 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


^^5 


herdics  in  those  days,  so  they  sent  me  home  in  a cab. 
I quit  the  army  the  next  day. 

These  birds,  the  penguins,  keep  excellent  time  with 
their  file  leader.  It  was  very  amusing  to  see  them  walk, 
they  were  so  very  awkward.  If  we  annoyed  them,  they 
squawked  furiously,  flapped  their  wings,  and  showed 
fight.  They  would  nip  and  bite  so  severely  that  even 
our  thick  clothing  was  poor  protection  from  their  attacks. 
On  our  return  to  the  boat  we  captured  several  of  them, 
the  old  king-penguin  and  a number  of  his  followers,  and, 
tying  their  legs,  put  them  in  the  boat.  When  about  half- 
way to  the  ship,  they  set  up  such  a squalling  and  cack- 
ling that  their  comrades  swimming  about  in  the  water 
would  leap  into  our  boat  and  sometimes  completely  over 
it,  knocking  our  hats  off,  striking  our  heads  and  faces, 
and  nipping  us  at  every  turn.  They  came  in  such  num- 
bers as  to  very  nearly  swamp  our  boat,  and,  to  make  the 
matter  worse,  the  king  and  two  or  three  others  escaped, 
and  then  how  they  did  lacerate  us  with  their  nippers  ! 
Just  then,  three  big  sea-lions  came  up  alongside  the  boat 
and  looked  in.  One  of  them  boldly  rested  his  head  on 
the  gunwale.  I never  saw  such  innocence  pictured  in  a 
face  as  was  in  his.  We  expected  that  he  would  leap 
into  the  boat,  or,  by  his  weight  on  the  gunwale,  would 
swamp  us,  and  thus  give  us  all  a chance  to  swim  to  the 
ship.  Suddenly  the  old  king-penguin,  which  we  had 
again  secured,  made  a desperate  eflbrt  and  regained  his 
liberty,  and,  followed  by  two  others,  escaped  from  the 
boat.  This  seemed  to  pacify  their  comrades  at  large, 
and  also  the  seals,  for  they  all  disappeared  under  water. 
A few  strokes  of  our  oars  brought  us  alongside  the  ship. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


1 16 


When  we  went  below  to  change  our  clothes,  we  found 
our  bodies  and  limbs  covered  with  bruises.  Several  days 
afterward  we  captured  a number  of  the  king-penguins. 
One  of  them  measured  forty- eight  inches  from  the  tip  of 
his  tail  to  the  end  of  his  beak,  and  weighed  thirty-two 
pounds.  They  are  now  in  the  National  Museum  at 
Washington,  D.  C. 

In  cruising  among  the  icebergs  we  found  many  Crus- 
tacea and  shrimps.  These  are  believed  to  be  the  food 
of  the  numerous  whales  in  these  seas.  They  are  also 
food  for  the  penguins  and  other  birds. 

P"or  several  days  nearly  all  the  icebergs  we  saw  were 
discolored  with  earth.  Many  seals  were  seen  on  them, 
basking  in  the  sun.  These  seals  were  of  different  kinds 
and  ages,  from  the  small  fur  and  hooded  varieties  to  the 
big  sea-elephant.  There  were  also  many  cape  pigeons, 
white  and  gray,  and  large  and  small  petrels. 

February  i6.  The  weather  fair,  and  wind  sou’east. 
To-day  we  discovered  one  of  the  largest  sea-elephants 
we  had  ever  seen.  Two  boats  were  lowered  and  sent  to 
capture  him.  Many  balls  were  fired  at  him,  but  he 
scarcely  noticed  them,  simply  raising  his  head  and  look- 
ing round.  The  two  boats’  crews  surrounded  him,  and 
then  he  commenced  to  flounder  about,  knocking  them 
helter-skelter  on  the  ice.  He  soon  reached  the  water, 
his  native  element,  and  so  escaped.  There  was  a large 
pond  of  muddy  water  on  this  iceberg,  not  frozen  over, 
though  the  weather  was  several  degrees  below  freezing 
point. 

February  17.  To-day  began  with  snow  squalls.  The 
snow,  instead  of  being  in  flakes,  was  in  grains,  very 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


117 


hard  and  dry,  and  large  as  buckshot,  though  not  at  all 
like  hail-stones.  They  were  pure  white.  We  were  sur- 
rounded all  day  by  a very  large  number  of  huge  sperm 
whales,  whose  curiosity  seemed  to  be  greatly  excited  by 
our  presence.  They  would  come  up  close  aboard,  puff- 
ing and  blowing  like  locomotives.  They  were  covered 
with  so  many  great  barnacles  that  they  looked  like  large 
rocks  alongside  the  ship.  When  coming  up  to  blow,  the 


AURORA  AUSTRALIS. 


little  whales,  or  calves,  were  as  spry  and  active  in  their 
native  element  as  kittens.  It  was  not  pleasant  to  have 
them  so  close  aboard,  and  it  was  convincing  proof  that 
they  knew  not  the  enmity  of  man. 

This  night  we  had  a splendid  display  of  the  aurora 
australis.  It  excelled  everything  of  the  kind  we  had 
ever  witnessed,  and  appeared  like  some  enchanted  vis- 
ion. Across  the  whole  horizon,  overhead,  and  all  around 
were  seen  flashes  of  light  showing  all  the  prismatic  colors. 
At  the  same  time,  or  in  quick  succession,  it  flashed  in  all 


ii8  Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


directions,  and  streamed  up  and  down  like  the  light- 
ning’s fitful  glare.  It  would  thicken  at  times  like  fog, 
and  shut  out  from  view  the  brilliant  stars.  Canopus  and 
the  Southern  Cross  were  in  the  zenith  at  the  time. 
While  lying  on  our  backs  on  the  deck  and  looking  up, 
we  could  command  the  entire  magnificent  view. 

February  i8.  Wind  easterly,  sea  smooth.  During 
the  day  had  several  snow  squalls.  The  snow  that  fell 
was  in  the  form  of  a regular,  six-pointed  star. 

February  19.  Weather  fair,  sea  very  smooth;  ship 
surrounded  by  many  icebergs.  Much  anxiety  existed 
among  the  officers  lest  the  ship  should  be  hemmed  in 
by  these  frozen  bulwarks. 

February  20.  This  morning  our  hearts  were  made 
glad  by  feeling  a slight  swell  of  the  sea  with  a little  breeze 
from  the  sou’east.  By  nine  p.  m.  we  had  worked  the 
ship  through  many  narrow  passages  between  the  icebergs 
into  clear  water,  latitude  63°  south,  longitude  101°  east. 

February  21.  Weather  moderate  with  light  westerly 
winds.  At  eight  bells  every  appearance  of  bad  weather. 
At  two  bells  all  hands  called  to  muster,  when  the  com- 
modore thanked  us  for  our  exertions  and  good  behavior 
during  the  trying  scenes  we  had  passed  through,  and 
congratulated  us  on  the  success  that  had  attended  us. 
He  said  that  he  should  represent  our  conduct  in  the 
most  favorable  light  to  the  government,  and  that  he  had 
no  doubt  that  the  government  would  grant  us  a suitable 
reward  for  our  past  services.  He  also  informed  us  that 
he  had  determined  to  bear  up  and  return  north  ; so  the 
ship’s  head  was  pointed  towards  New  Zealand,  three 
thousand  miles  distant.  After  giving  three  cheers  for 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


iig 


the  Antarctic  Continent,  all  hands  were  called  to  splice 
the  mainbrace.”  Up  to  this  time  we  had  had  only 
hot  coffee. 

January  30.  On  board  the  Porpoise.  hX.  four  p.  m. 
a ship  was  discovered  ahead,  and  shortly  after  another, 
both  standing  to  the  south.  The  brig  hauled  up  nor’- 
west,  intending  to  speak  them,  being  sure  they  were  the 
Vincennes  and  the  Peacock.  Shortly  after,  seeing  that 
they  were  strangers.  Captain  Ringold  hoisted  his  colors. 
It  was  known  that  the  English  squadron  under  Sir  James 
Ross  was  about  to  visit  these  seas,  and  he  was  preparing 
to  cheer  the  great  English  navigator,  when  the  stranger 
showed  the  French  colors.  One  of  the  ships  displayed 
a broad  pennant.  Captain  Ringold  concluded  that  they 
must  be  the  French  discovery  ships  under  Captain 
d’Urville.  While  closing  with  the  strangers  — for  he 
desired  to  pass  within  hail  under  the  flagship’s  stern  — 
he  saw  to  his  surprise  that  they  were  making  all  sail-. 
Without  a moment’s  delay  Captain  Ringold  hauled  down 
his  colors  and  bore  upon  his  course  before  the  wind. 

It  is  with  regret  that  I mention  the  above  occurrence, 
and  it  can  but  excite  the  surprise  of  all  that  such  a cold 
repulse  should  come  from  a French  commander,  and 
that  the  vessels  of  two  friendly  powers  should  meet  in 
such  an  untraversed  and  dangerous  quarter  of  the  globe 
and  not  even  exchange  the  common  civilities  of  life,  and 
should  exhibit  none  of  the  kinder  feelings  that  the  situa- 
tion would  awaken,  but  refuse  to  allow  any  communica- 
tion. It  showed  that  the  commander  was  devoid  of  all 
manly  feeling  and  brotherly  love,  to  commit  such  a 
breach  of  the  courtesy  due  from  one  nation  to  another. 


120 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


He  knew  not  but  that  the  brig  was  in  need  of  medical 
aid  or  had  important  communications  to  make.  It  was 
truly  surprising  what  could  prompt  him  to  pursue  such 
a course,  for  during  my  twenty  years’  experience  before 
the  mast  — and  I have  cruised  among  pretty  nearly  all 
nations  — I have  found  the  French  people  to  be  the 
most  courteous  and  polite  of  any  whom  I have  met. 

This  distinguished  French  navigator,  Commodore 
Dumont  d’Urville,  had  discovered  land  eleven  days  pre- 
vious,  in  the  evening  of  the  19th  of  February,  in  latitude 
65°  south,  longitude  142°  east.  He  said  it  averaged 
over  a thousand  feet  high,  and  was  entirely  covered  with 
ice  and  snow.  He  cruised  along  its  shore  to  the  west- 
ward  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  where  it  sud- 
denly turned  to  the  south,  and  here  he  met  our  brig 
Porpoise.  Land  was  then  in  sight.  He  named  this 
land  La  Terre  Adelie,  for  his  wife.  The  next  day,  the 
I St  of  February,  he  bore  away  for  Hobart  Town,  where 
he  arrived  after  an  absence  of  forty-nine  days. 

The  next  year,  1849,  Captain  Sir  James  Ross  of  the 
British  navy  visited  these  seas.  How  far  he  was  guided 
by  the  copy  of  our  chart  and  log,  sent  him  by  Commo- 
dore Wilkes,  and  which  he  never  acknowledged,  can 
only  be  surmised.  The  English  admiral’s  ships,  the 
Erebus  and  Terror^  were  unlike  the  Frenchman’s  and 
our  ships.  They  were  so  strongly  built  that  they  were 
forced  through  a thick  belt  of  ice  two  hundred  miles 
into  an  open  sea  beyond.  Our  ships  would  have  been 
completely  destroyed  before  they  could  have  penetrated 
one-quarter  of  the  distance.  Sir  James  Ross  left  Hobart 
Town  on  the  12th  of  November,  1841.  Entering  the 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


I2I 


Antarctic  Circle,  he  stood  farther  to  the  east  than  we 
did,  and  penetrated  as  high  as  latitude  78°  south,  where 
he  discovered  land.  Coasting  many  weary  miles  along 
its  frozen  shores,  on  the  28th  he  discovered  two  moun- 
tains, the  highest  of  which  is  12,400  feet,  having 
on  its  summit  an  active  volcano,  which  the  admiral 
named  Mt.  Erebus.  The  other,  which  is  10,000  feet 
high,  he  named  Mt.  Terror.  These  mountains  are  situ- 
ated in  latitude  76°  south,  longitude  168°  east.  Well 
might  the  discoverer  of  the  north  magnetic  pole  feel 
proud  of  his  discoveries  in  these  unknown  and  untrav- 
ersed regions.  The  English  admiral  named  it  Victoria 
Land.  The  ceremony  of  taking  possession  was  in  the 
name  of  Her  Most  Gracious  Sovereign  Majesty,  Queen 
Victoria.  He  made  two  subsequent  voyages  in  these 
seas,  but  they  did  not  prove  as  successful  as  the  first. 
In  1845  Lieutenant  Moore  of  the  British  navy  sailed  in 
the  bark  Pagoda  from  Cape  Town  on  a scientific  cruise 
to  the  Antarctic  regions.  He  penetrated  a little  farther 
south  than  Ross,  and  thus  completed  the  observations 
left  by  him,  and  confirmed  the  discovery  of  an  Antarctic 
Continent  by  our  squadron.  As  our  discovery  of  some 
portions  of  the  Antarctic  Continent  has  been  called  in 
question  by  a few  Englishmen,  who  have  rendered  a ver- 
dict not  proved,  it  would  probably  be  wiser  for  me,  as  I 
am  the  only  known  survivor  of  the  six  hundred  and 
eighty-seven  men  who  served  in  the  expedition  under 
Commodore  Wilkes,  to  keep  silent,  but  my  American 
pride  will  not  allow  me  to  do  so. 

In  tracing  the  English  maps  of  to-day,  I find  no  men- 
tion on  many  of  them  of  our  discovery  of  the  Antarctic 


122 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


Continent.  That  continent  is  laid  down  as  South  Vic- 
toria Land,  from  latitude  64°  to  79°  south,  and  from 
longitude  162°  to  97°  east.  This  long  line  of  coast 
includes  not  only  our  fifteen  hundred  miles  of  the  Ant- 
arctic Continent,  but  also  the  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  of  coast  discovered  by  D’  Urville,  the  French  nav- 
igator. These  lands  are  named  Victoria  Land,  Mt.  Erebus, 
Mt.  Terror,  Mt.  Sabine,  North  Cape,  Terre  Ad^lie,  Cotta 
Clara  Land,  and  Enderby  Land. 

All  of  the  above  are,  no  doubt,  detached  portions  of 
the  Antarctic  Continent,  which  were  discovered  from 
three  of  our  vessels  on  the  i6th  of  January,  1840.  The 
land  was  frequently  in  sight  in  fair  weather,  while  we 
cruised  along  its  shores  for  fifteen  hundred  miles.  We 
occasionally  obtained  soundings  from  twenty-five  to 
eight  hundred  fathoms,  the  arming  being  covered  in 
places  with  black  sand,  dead  coral,  clay,  and  gravel. 
Commodore  Wilkes  very  appropriately  named  the  land 
discovered  the  Antarctic  Continent.  Our  discovery  was 
also  confirmed  by  Lieutenant  Moore  in  1845. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


The  following  will  be  read,  I am  sure,  with  much 
interest  by  every  American.  It  is  the  address  of  the 
President  of  the  Geographical  Society  of  London. 

Gentlemen  : You  have  just  heard  the  announcement  that  the  coun- 
cil has  awarded  the  Founder’s  medal  to  Captain  Wilkes  of  the  United 
wStates  Navy,  for  the  zeal  and  intelligence  with  which  he  carried  out 
the  Scientific  Exploring  Expedition  intrusted  to  him  by  the  Gov- 
ernment of  the  United  States  in  the  years  1838  and  1842,  and  for 
the  volumes  which  he  has  published,  detailing  the  narrative  of  that 
expedition.  It  therefore  becomes  my  duty  to  endeavor  to  give  you 
some  account  of  the  performances  of  the  gallant  officer,  and  of  the 
services  which  he  has  rendered  to  the  progress  of  geography.  It 
must  be  rememl)ered  that  this  was  the  first  expedition  ever  fitted 
out  by  the  Government  of  the  United  States  for  scientific  purposes. 
Greater  difficulties  must  therefore  l)e  supposed  to  have  attended  its 
organization  than  would  have  been  the  case  with  more  experi- 
ence. On  the  other  hand,  merit  of  the  success  is  proportionately 
increased. 

The  expedition  left  Hampton  Roads  on  the  17th  of  August,  1838, 
and  its  first  scientific  operation  was  the  establishment  of  an  observ- 
atory at  Orange  Harbor,  in  Terra  del  Fuego.  Here  some  of  the 
vessels  remained,  while  others  detached  to  the  westward,  and  Cap- 
tain Wilkes  himself  proceeded,  on  the  25th  of  February,  to  the 
south,  for  the  purpose  of  exploring  the  southeast  side  of  Palmer’s 
Land.  After  reaching  latitude  63°  25'  south,  finding  the  season 
too  far  advanced  to  make  any  progress  against  the  ice,  he  turned 
his  ship’s  head  to  the  north,  and  the  whole  squadron  was  soon  col- 


124 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


lectecl  at  Valparaiso.  Here  another  observatory  was  established. 
A scientific  party  visited  the  bank  of  snow  from  which  the  city  is 
supplied  with  water,  on  one  of  the  outlying  ranges  of  the  Cordilleras, 
the  principal  heights  of  which  rose  nearly  four  thousand  feet  above 
them.  Others  visited  the  mines  of  Chili.  They  then  proceeded  to 
the  coasts  of  Peru,  and  thence,  after  a visit  to  the  interior  and  to 
the  ruins  of  Pachacamac,  commenced  their  explorations  in  the 
Pacific. 

On  the  26th  of  December,  1839,  they  left  Sydney,  and  first  fell  in 
with  the  ice  on  the  loth  of  January,  1840,  in  latitude  61°  8'  south, 
and  longitude  163°  32'  east;  and  on  the  nth  some  of  the  officers 
were  confident  they  saw  indications  of  land.  Captain  Wilkes  does 
not  rely  much  on  this,  but  on  the  i6th  those  evidences  became 
more  positive,  and  on  the  19th  they  distinctly  saw  land  in  longitude 
154°  30'  east,  and  latitude  66°  20'  south.  Captain  Wilkes,  how- 
ever, only  dates  the  discovery  which  he  claims  for  his  expedition, 
from  the  land  seen  on  the  i6th.  I mention  this  the  more  anxiously 
on  this  occasion  on  account  of  the  controversy  which  has  arisen 
between  him  and  Sir  James  Ross,  who  sailed  over  the  spot  where 
land  was  supposed  to  have  been  seen  on  the  iith.  To  this,  how- 
ever, I wish  to  allude  as  lightly  as  possible,  convinced  as  I am  that 
both  these  gallant  officers  have  only  been  anxious  to  estal^lish  the 
truth,  and  to  advance  the  cause  of  science.  Undoubtedly,  on  the 
tracing  which  Captain  Wilkes  furnished  to  Sir  James  Ross  the  land 
supposed  to  have  been  seen  on  the  nth  is  sketched  in,  and,  as  a 
measure  of  precaution,  it  was,  perhaps,  prudent  in  Captain  Wilkes 
so  to  do.  It  would  have  been  more  satisfactory  if  he  could  have 
stated  to  Sir  James  Ross,  as  he  had  done  in  his  published  account, 
on  what  slight  and  imperfect  evidence  its  existence  in  that  position 
was  laid  down. 

After  continuing  his  explorations  of  the  Antarctic  Continent  as 
far  to  the  westward  as  longitude  97°  east.  Captain  Wilkes,  finding 
his  provisions  short  and  the  season  far  advanced,  turned  his  ship’s 
head  to  the  north  and  quitted  those  frozen  latitudes. 

I regret  that  it  is  impossilde,  within  the  limits  of  this  address,  to 
do  justice  to  the  contents  of  the  five  volumes  in  which  Captain 
Wilkes  has  described  the  progress  of  the  expedition;  but  I trust  I 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast 


12^ 


have  done  enough  now  to  show  that  the  exertions  of  Captain 
Wilkes,  and  the  results  of  the  expedition  intrusted  to  him,  have, 
in  every  respect,  been  such  as  to  entitle  him  to  the  highest  mark 
of  distinction  v/hich  it  is  in  the  power  of  this  society  to  bestow. 

The  following  lines  from  Coleridge’s  poem,  ‘^The 
Ancient  Mariner,”  describe  the  albatross  searching  for 
food  : 

“ The  ice  was  here,  the  ice  was  there. 

The  ice  was  all  around : 

It  cracked  and  glowed,  and  roared  and  howled, 

Like  noises  in  a swound. 


THE  ALBATROSS  IN  THE  HOLLOW  OF  A WAVE. 


“ At  length  did  cross  an  albatross : 
Through  the  fog  it  came; 

As  if  it  had  been  a Christian  soul, 
We  hailed  it  in  God’s  name. 


126 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


“ It  ate  the  food  it  ne’er  had  eat, 

And  round  and  round  it  Hew. 

The  ice  did  split  with  a thunder-ht; 

The  helmsman  steered  us  through  ! 

“ And  a good  south  wind  sprung  up  behind, 

The  albatross  did  follow, 

And  every  day,  for  food  or  play. 

Come  to  the  mariner’s  hollo ! 

‘‘  In  mist  or  cloud,  on  mast  or  shroud, 

It  perched  for  vespers  nine; 

While  all  the  night,  through  fog-smoke  white, 

Glimmered  the  white  moonshine.” 

We  left  the  Vincennes  on  the  21st  of  February,  stand- 
ing north.  The  2 2d  being  Washington’s  birthday,  the 
old  commodore  showed  his  patriotism  by  having  all 
hands  called  to  splice  the  mainbrace.  We  were  now 
short  of  water  and  were  put  on  half-allowance. 

The  happiest  man  on  board  our  ship  was  John  Sac,  a 
New  Zealand  chief.  His  native  name  was  Puatti.  He 
left  his  home  on  the  island,  about  ten  years  previous  to 
our  visit  there,  in  an  American  whaler.  During  this  time 
he  had  made  two  whaling  voyages  from  New  Bedford  : 
one  to  the  coast  of  Japan,  the  other  to  the  Arctic  seas. 
He  had  also  made  one'  voyage  to  Cronstadt,  one  to 
Havre,  and  two  to  Liverpool.  John  was  every  inch  a 
man,  an  excellent  sailor,  and  a jolly  good  fellow.  His 
form  was  manly  and  robust,  and  his  face,  like  many  of 
the  natives,  was  elaborately  tattooed.  In  the  estimation 
of  his  countrymen  he  presented  quite  a noble  appear- 
ance. He  was  very  fond  of  his  home,  and  enthusiastic 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


127 


in  praise  of  his  country  and  people,  and  longed  to  return 
to  his  wigwam.  ^^New  Zealand,  New  Zealand,  no  place 
like  New  Zealand  ! ” 

At  night  we  had  another  very  grand  display  of  the 
aurora  australis.  It  first  appeared  in  the  southern 
heavens,  and  was  more  brilliant  than  any  we  had  ever 
witnessed.  Its  beautifully-tinted  orange-colored  waves 
would  flash  across  one  another  in  quick  succession,  and 
anon  seem  to  fold,  one  within  another,  like  a fan. 

February  23.  A strong  gale  blowing  from  the  south- 
west, with  much  sleet,  hail,  and  snow. 


February  24,  25,  26.  The  gale  still  continued.  It 
was  very  severe.  We  passed  many  icebergs,  and  had 
many  narrow  escapes  from  disaster.  We  left  the  last 
iceberg  53°  south  ; at  noon,  by  observation,  50°  south. 
In  taking  a cast  of  the  lead,  we  lost  it  with  eight  hundred 
fathoms  of  wire  line.  The  sea  was  of  such  a clear,  deep 
blue  that  a white  object  could  be  seen  at  the  depth  of 
fifteen  fathoms. 

March  i . Made  a sail  two  points  on  the  weather  bow, 
the  first  we  had  seen  for  sixty  days,  which  made  us  think 
we  were  in  an  inhabited  quarter  of  the  globe. 

March  2.  Thick,  misty  weather. 


128 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


March  5.  The  wind  prevented  our  continuing  our 
course  for  New  Zealand.  We  gave  the  ship  all  the  sail 
she  could  possibly  carry,  and  headed  for  Sydney.  Our 
convict  shipmates  seemed  very  sad,  and  had  grown  thin 
and  pale.  They  had  the  sympathy  of  all  the  crew. 

March  ii.  At  noon  we  passed  the  head  of  Port 
Jackson  and  took  a pilot.  Shortly  after,  dropped  anchor 
in  Farm  Cove,  abreast  Fort  McQuire,  after  an  absence 
of  three  months.  All  hands  well  and  hearty,  including 
those  frozen  aloft  on  the  21st  of  January.  We  found  the 
country  looking  quite  green  and  beautiful,  and  the  air 
deliciously  sweet. 

The  authorities  were  notified  of  the  three  stowaways 
we  had  on  board.  When  the  sergeant  of  the  56th  regi- 
ment, and  others  in  authority,  came  on  board  and  looked 
over  the  crew,  the  sergeant  claimed  the  youngest  one, 
who  had  been  a drummer-boy  in  his  regiment.  He  was 
court-martialed,  and  sentenced  to  receive  one  hundred 
and  five  lashes.  It  was  stated  that  he  received  ninety- 
three  ; five  of  them  applied  after  the  breath  had  left  his 
body.  As  the  lad  was  a young  London  prig,  he  was 
nicknamed  Oliver  Twist.  He  was  slenderly  built, 
very  intelligent  looking,  seemingly  of  good  morals,  and 
was  becoming  a favorite  with  all  on  board.  He  used  to 
tell  me  about  the  old  Jew  Fagins  in  London,  and  about 
his  mother  and  sister,  and  what  he  was  going  to  do  when 
he  got  back  home.  We  all  regretted  his  sad  fate.  May 
he  rest  in  peace. 

The  Peacock  arrived  here  on  the  2 2d  of  February  in  a 
sinking  condition,  her  cut-water,  as  well  as  her  rudder 
and  part  of  her  bulwarks,  having  been  carried  away. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast.  i2g 


H.  B.  M.  transport  ship  Bujfalo  arrived  the  same  day 
with  the  Canadian  convicts  on  board.  The  Sydney  peo- 
ple seemed  much  delighted  at  our  return.  While  here 
we  heard  of  the  arrival  at  Hobart  Town  of  the  two  ships 
belonging  to  the  French  expedition  under  command  of 
Commodore  d’  Urville.  He  afterwards  published  in  the 
papers  a report  of  his  discoveries  while  in  the  Antarctic 
seas.  He  had  been  quite  unfortunate  in  losing  four  of 
his  officers  and  twenty-seven  of  his  crew.  In  overhaul- 
ing our  ship,  we  found  our  fore  and  maintop  masts  both 
sprung,  a part  of  our  cut-water  carried  away,  and  our 
ship’s  hull  considerably  bruised.  When  viewing  her 
from  the  shore  she  looked  more  like  an  old  Dutch  galiot 
whaler  than  a trim  Yankee  sloop-of-war.  Having  refitted, 
provisioned,  and  watered  ship,  and  bidden  our  English 
friends  a final  adieu,  on  the  i6th  of  March  we  weighed 
anchor  and  stood  out  to  sea. 

On  the  23d  spoke  the  French  ship  Ville  de  Bordeaux, 
which  we  supplied  with  provisions.  She  had  been  out 
three  years,  and  had  on  board  four  thousand  barrels  of 
oil.  The  crew  were  on  a short  allowance  of  bread  and 
water.  We  rendered  them  medical  assistance  by  send- 
ing our  surgeons  on  board,  and  supplied  them  with  a bar- 
rel of  beef,  one  of  pork,  one  of  flour,  some  small  stores, 
and  some  preserved  soup  for  their  sick,  after  which  we 
parted  company. 

I still  practice  my  writing  lessons,  and  Mr.  Stuart  and 
Mr.  Green  both  tell  me  I can  write  mother  ” first-rate  ; 
yes,  and  I can  just  write  the  words,  home,”  ‘‘  sisters,” 
‘^brothers,”  Roxbury,”  Boston,”  Big  Dick,”  Tor- 
rent 6,”  and  Hurrah  for  Jackson,  all  nations  ! ” 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


130 


March  25.  A light  wind  from  the  nor ’east. 

March  26.  Fair,  with  a light  breeze  from  the  north. 

March  27.  Wind  hauled  to  the  sou’-sou’east,  and 
blew  a stiff  breeze. 

March  28.  Weather  fair,  wind  from  the  south. 

March  29.  Made  North  Cape  of  New  Zealand. 

On  the  30th  came  to  anchor  in  Kawa  Kawa  River, 
Bay  of  Islands.  Here  we  found,  quietly  lying  at  anchor, 
the  Daughter  of  the  Squadron,”  the  Flying  Fish, 
also  the  brig  Porpoise  and  a number  of  English  and 
American  whale-ships.  All  the  officers  were  made  happy 
by  receiving  letters  from  home.  Billy  Roberts  and  others 
of  the  crew  were  sadly  disappointed  at  not  receiving 
any.  We  had  parted  with  our  tender,  the  Flying  Fish, 
in  a terrific  gale  in  the  Antarctic  seas,  and  all  sorts  of 
yarns  had  been  spun  about  the  distress  she  was  in  when 
last  seen.  All  hands  were  not  slow  in  assigning  to  her 
the  same  fate  that  befell  her  unfortunate  mate,  the  Sea 
Gull,  off  Cape  Horn.  Sailors  are  superstitious,  and  prone 
to  anticipate  evil ; and  on  this  occasion  they  were  full  of 
all  kinds  of  surmises  imaginable.  So  it  cheered  our  hearts 
to  have  her  once  more  in  our  company. 

The  following  is  by  J.  C.  Palmer,  surgeon  on  board 
the  Flying  Fish : 

The  Antarctic  Mariner’s  Song. 

Sweetly,  from  the  land  of  roses, 

Sighing,  comes  the  northern  breeze; 

And  the  smile  of  dawn  reposes. 

All  in  blushes,  on  the  seas. 

Now,  within  the  sleeping  sail. 

Murmurs  soft  the  gentle  gale. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


1 31 


Ease  the  sheet,  and  keep  away : 

Glory  guides  us  south  to-day. 

Yonder,  see  ! the  icy  portal 
Opens  for  us  to  the  Pole; 

And  where  never  entered  mortal. 
Thither  speed  we  to  the  goal. 

Hopes  before,  and  doubts  behind, 

On  we  fly  before  the  wind. 

Steady, — so  — now  let  it  blow  ! 

Glory  guides,  and  south  we  go. 

Vainly  do  these  gloomy  borders 
All  their  frightful  forms  oppose; 
Vainly  frown  these  frozen  warders. 
Mailed  in  sleet,  and  helmed  in  snows. 
Though,  beneath  the  ghastly  skies. 
Curdled,  all  the  ocean  lies, 

Lash  we  up  its  foam  anew  — 

Dash  we  all  its  terrors  through  ! 

Circled  by  these  columns  hoary. 

All  the  field  of  fame  is  ours : 

Here  to  carve  a name  in  story. 

Or  a tomb  beneath  these  towers. 
Southward  still  our  way  we  trace. 
Winding  through  an  icy  maze. 

Luff  her  to  — there  she  goes  through  ! 
Glory  leads,  and  we  pursue. 

Undaunted,  though,  despite  their  mirth. 
Still  by  a certain  awe  subdued. 

They  reach  the  last  retreat  on  earth 
Where  Nature  hoped  for  solitude. 

Between  two  icebergs  gaunt  and  pale. 
Like  giant  sentinels  on  post. 

Without  a welcome  or  a hail. 

Intrude  they  on  the  realm  of  Frost. 


/52 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


Cold,  cold  as  death  ! the  sky  so  bleak 
That  even  daylight  seems  to  shiver; 

And,  starting  back  from  icy  peak. 

The  blinking  sunbeams  quail  and  quiver. 

They  smile,  those  lonely,  patient  men. 

Though  gladness  mocks  that  scene  so  drear; 

They  speak — yet  words  are  spent  in  vain 
Which  seem  to  freeze  upon  the  ear. 

Mountains  on  hoary  mountains  high, 

O’ertop  the  sea-bird’s  loftiest  flight; 

All  bleak  the  air  — all  bleached  the  sky  — 
The  pent-up,  stiffened  sea,  all  white. 

Amid  the  fearful  stillness  round. 

Scarce  broken  by  the  wind’s  faint  breezing. 

Hist ! heard  ye  not  that  crackling  sound? 
That  death-watch  click — the  sea  is  freezing. 

They  breathe  not  — speak  not  — murmur  not; 
But  in  each  other’s  face  they  gaze. 

While  memory,  fancy,  tender  thought. 

Turn  sadly  back  to  other  days. 

Long  years  roll  by  in  that  wild  dream  — 

Long  years  of  mingled  joy  and  pain; 

But  like  a meteor’s  erring  gleam, 

’Tis  gone  — there  stands  the  ice  again. 

The  ice,  the  piles  of  ice,  arrayed 
In  forms  of  awful  grandeur  still; 

But  all  their  terrors,  how  they  fade 
Before  proud  man’s  sublimer  will ! 

With  straining  oars  and  bending  spars. 

They  dash  their  icy  chains  asunder; 

Force  frozen  doors  — burst  crystal  bars  — 

And  drive  the  sparkling  fragments  under. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


>33 


On,  little  bark  ! On,  yet  awhile  ! 

Across  the  frozen  desert  flee; 

For  yonder,  with  its  welcome  smile. 

Now  sparkles  bright  thine  own  blue  sea. 

The  baffled  monsters  fall  behind. 

Nor  longer  urge  pursuit  so  vain; 

One  moment  more,  and  rest  we  find  — 

’T is  past;  she ’s  safe,  she ’s  safe  again  ! 

With  drooping  peak  now  lying  to. 

Where  sea-fowl  brood  she  checks  her  motion, 

Like  them  to  plume  herself  anew 
In  the  bright  mirror  of  the  ocean. 

All  signs  of  strife  soon  wiped  away. 

They  northward  turn  — God  speed  them  on  ! 

To  climes  beneath  whose  genial  ray 
Repose  is  sweet  when  toil  is  done. 

We  learned  that  the  brig  Porpoise^  after  having  been 
deserted  by  the  two  French  ships,  had  cruised  along  the 
icy  barriers  to  longitude  ioo°  east,  latitude  64°  south. 
On  March  5 th  she  had  made  Lord  Auckland’s  Isles. 
The  27th  she  anchored  in  the  harbor  of  Sarah’s  Bosom, 
in  twelve  fathoms  of  water.  These  islands  were  resorted 
to  by  whalers  and  sealers,  to  overhaul,  refit,  wood,  and 
water  ships. 

March  17.  They  spoke  the  whale-ships  Mary  and 
Martha.  Captain  Coffin  informed  them  that  there  were 
at  least  one  hundred  whale-ships  cruising  in  these  seas, 
several  of  them  being  in  sight.  This  will  give  some  idea 
of  the  number  of  ships  employed  in  the  whale  and  seal 
fisheries  in  this  quarter  of  the  globe. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


New  Zealand  was  discovered  by  Tasman,  in  1642,  and 
visited  by  Captain  Cook  in  1 769.  It  consists  of  two  large 
and  several  small  islands,  the  largest  being  something  over 
three  hundred  miles  broad.  They  are  mountainous,  and 
of  a volcanic  nature.  Mounts  Egmont  and  Looker-on  are 
from  8,000  to  10,000  feet  high.  The  native  population 
was  at  this  time  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand. 
This  group,  like  all  the  Pacific  islands,  is  very  beautiful, 
so  much  so  as  to  tempt  the  English  government  to  get 
possession  of  them,  and  establish  its  colonies  wherever  a 
foothold  could  be  obtained.  An  old  proverb  says,  ‘‘Brag 
is  a good  dog,  but  Hold  Fast  is  a better  one.”  Some 
conceited  Englishmen  have  boasted  that  England  girdles 
the  world  with  a chain  of  fortifications ; that  in  the  East 
Indies  she  is  supreme ; in  China  her  power  has  been 
felt ; in  the  Eastern  Archipelago  she  knows  no  rival ; 
and  from  the  “Lion’s  Rump”  at  Cape  Town  she  looks 
forth  over  the  broad  ocean  with  the  air  of  a conqueror. 
The  banner  of  St.  George  waves  in  solemn  majesty  over 
the  rock  of  St.  Helena  and  is  seen  far  out  in  the  Atlan- 
tic. She  has  planted  herself  firmly  on  the  coasts  of  Africa 
and  of  North  and  South  America,  and  the  best  of  the 
West  India  Islands  are  hers,  and  the  sun  always  shines 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


^3? 


on  some  of  her  dominions  ! That  is  all  English,  you 
know. 

Her  Most  Gracious  Majesty,  Queen  Victoria  of  Eng- 
land, issued  her  proclamation,  and  took  possession  of 
these  islands  a few  months  before  our  arrival.  The  Eng- 
lish changed  the  names  of  the  two  largest  of  these  islands, 
which  lie  between  35°  and  40°  south  latitude,  formerly 
known  and  laid  down  on  the  charts  as  the  North  and 
South  Islands.  They  are  now  called  New  Ulster  and 
New  Munster.  Stewart’s  Island  is  now  called  Leinster, 
and  that  beautiful  beach,  the  residence  of  numerous  run- 
away English  convicts  from  Hobart  Town  and  Sydney, 
is  very  appropriately  named  Blackguard  Beach.”  It 
is  not  the  runaway  sailors,  as  has  been  said,  but  the 
escaped  English  convicts,  who  have  found  their  way  to 
many  of  the  islands  of  the  Pacific,  that  has  been  the 
greatest  drawback  to  the  missionary  enterprise. 

While  lying  here  all  hands  had  liberty  on  shore,  and 
we  had  a jolly  time.  Twenty  of  us  hired  a large  canoe 
and  went  up  the  Kawa  Kawa  River  about  nine  miles 
with  John  Sac,  to  his  home.  Arriving  at  the  village  or 
pass,  as  it  was  called,  we  found  all  the  natives,  men, 
women,  and  children,  armed  with  old  guns,  spears,  or 
war-clubs,  awaiting  the  coming  of  their  young  chief. 
They  had  heard  of  his  arrival  on  an  American  man-of- 
war.  As  soon  as  John  stepped  on  shore,  they  fired  off 
their  guns,  brandished  their  war-clubs  and  spears,  and 
shouted  and  yelled  like  so  many  demons.  Fancy  four 
or  five  thousand  of  these  natives,  many  of  them  tattooed 
over  the  whole  face,  armed  to  the  teeth,  half-naked,  some 
with  a piece  of  an  old  mat  thrown  over  the  shoulders, 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


I 


others  perfectly  nude.  Some  wore  red  flannel  shirts, 
or  sailors’  old  blue-  jackets,  buttoned,  and  nothing  else. 
I'hey  were  wild  with  delight  at  the  return  of  their  young 
chief.  Finally,  after  a tremendous  yell,  the  old  chief, 
John’s  father,  made  his  appearance.  He  was  a very 
large  man,  and  was  tattooed  all  over  his  face.  He  wore 
over  his  shoulders  a very  fine,  large  mat,  beautifully  bor- 
dered with  many  rich  feathers.  His  son,  our  John,  wore 
nothing  but  his  blue  dungaree  trousers  and  tarpaulin 
hat.  As  they  advanced,  they  eyed  each  other,  and 
purred  like  two  cats.  Finally,  when  they  met,  they 
touched  the  ends  of  their  noses  together,  then,  placing 
their  hands  on  each  other’s  shoulders,  they  would  purr 
and  rub  noses  again  and  again.  All  this  time  we  were 
standing  beside  John,  while  the  natives  were  moaning, 
wailing,  and  making  all  kinds  of  hideous  noises.  In 
fact,  they  all  seemed  to  be  crazy.  At  a signal  given  by 
the  old  chief,  they  suddenly  departed  to  their  huts.  We 
followed  John,  his  father,  and  others  of  the  royal  family 
to  the  palace,  or  White  House.  It  was  a very  large  build- 
ing, low  studded,  and  contained  but  one  room.  On  the 
dark,  dirty  walls  were  hanging  old  flint-lock  guns,  war- 
clubs,  spears,  mats,  calabashes,  sailors’  sou’westers,  old 
pea-jackets,  junk  bottles,  skulls,  and  human  heads  dry  as 
those  of  mummies.  Presently  we  were  served  with 
peaches,  boiled  fish,  fresh  pork,  and  sweet  potatoes. 
After  this  we  were  treated  to  some  of  their  dances. 

The  war-dance,  in  which  John  took  part,  was  confined 
to  the  young  men,  and  was  very  interesting.  The  peace- 
dance  was  quite  affecting,  as  were  several  of  the  others. 
To  give  them  a rest,  we  danced  several  fore-and-afters. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast.  i^y 


and  all-fours;  but  the Sailor’s  Hornpipe”  ^Hook  the 
cake.”  They  were  fairly  overjoyed  with  it.  The  love- 
dance  brought  this  New  Zealand  ball  to  a close.  Of 
course  we  chose  partners  and  joined  in  this  dance.  All 
the  while  John  and  his  father  were  in  close  consultation. 
Occasionally  John  would  sing  out,  Sail  in,  shipmates, 
and  rake  her  down.”  We  did  enjoy  skipping  the  ‘Might 
fantastic  toe”  with  those  fairy-like  natives,  immensely. 

Just  before  sunrise,  after  the  dance  had  been  brought 
to  a close,  John  called  all  hands  to  “ splice  the  main- 
brace.”  After  this  we  breakfasted  on  a New  Zealand 
“ hishie-hashie  ” of  fresh  fish  and  sweet  potatoes  boiled 
into  a scouse,  and  seasoned  with  something  that  gave  it 
the  flavor  of  a charlotte  russe.  It  was  very  palatable, 
and  we  stowed  away  a good  share  of  it  in  our  lockers. 
Shortly  after  our  usual  smoke  one  after  another  com- 
plained of  a strangely  disagreeable  sensation  in  the 
stomach,  bearing  a strong  resemblance  to  sea-sickness, 
and  soon  all  of  those  twenty  healthy,  manly-looking 
sailors  had  become  as  helpless  as  “ babes  in  the  woods.” 
The  only  relief  was  to  lie  down  flat  with  our  faces  to  the 
ground.  After  a sound  sleep  under  a pile  of  native  mats, 
we  awoke  quite  refreshed,  finding  ourselves  guarded  by 
our  fair  partners  in  the  dance,  who  were  sitting  beside 
us.  It  was  not  long  before  we  had  our  sea-legs  on,  all 
but  John  Sac,  who  was  a very  sick  chief.  The  time  of 
our  liberty  having  expired,  we  heeded  John’s  advice, 
and  after  the  native  fashion  of  embracing  and  rubbing 
noses,  left  for  the  ship. 

After  we  had  arrived  on  board,  the  larboard  watch 
went  ashore  to  enjoy  their  liberty.  They  had  a good 


1 38  Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 

frolic  and  returned  the  next  day  on  time.  Shortly  after- 
ward John  Sac  came  on  board  with  his  father  and  several 
other  chiefs.  We  hardly  knew  John,  as  he  was  dressed 
like  all  the  rest  in  native  attire, — a mat,  made  of  native 
flax,  large  as  a blanket,  very  fine,  ingeniously  made,  and 
beautifully  embroidered.  These  mat-cloaks  were  tied 
around  their  necks,  and  hung  gracefully  about  their  per- 
sons. The  entire  company,  forty  in  number,  were  beau- 
tifully tattooed  all  over  their  faces,  which  gave  them  a 
very  fierce  aspect.  All  wore  ear-rings  of  jade  or  shark’s 
teeth  ; a green  stone,  held  sacred  by  them,  was  tied 
about  their  necks,  and  small,  bright-colored  feathers 
were  stuck  in  their  hair.  They  were  of  nearly  uniform 
size,  about  six  feet  in  height,  and  were  a manly-looking  set 
of  men.  John,  his  father,  and  several  of  the  others 
pleaded  earnestly  with  the  commodore  to  purchase  the 
territory  of  Muckatoo,  a part  of  New  Zealand  which  had 
once  belonged  to  the  old  chief’s  tribe,  but  had  been 
seized  by  the  English.  The  commodore  told  them  that 
he  could  not  interfere  in  a feud.  We  made  them  some 
very  nice  presents,  and  they  left  the  ship. 

While  here  we  collected  many  curiosities,  among  them 
several  rare  specimens  of  tattooed  heads.  These  New 
Zealanders,  like  nearly  all  other  islanders,  are  great  beg- 
gars. A big  chief,  whose  hut  was  near  the  landing,  was 
a continual  bore  to  the  commodore.  At  length  he  gave 
him  an  old  uniform  coat  and  a cocked  hat.  With  these 
as  his  entire  costume  he  promenaded  the  beach  all  day 
long,  feeling  very  grand. 

i\pril  6.  While  we  were  heaving  short  this  morning 
John  Sac  came  on  board  dressed  in  his  trousers  and 


serenely  spending  the  evening  of  his  life  at  home  in  his 
own  native  country,  had  been  forever  blasted.  After 
breakfast  we  weighed  and  catted  our  anchor  and  stood 
for  those  islands  so  famous  in  the  song  of  Hokey,  Pokey, 
Winke,  Wanke,”  I am  king  of  the  Tonga  Islands.” 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast,  / 

tarpaulin.  He  told  the  commodore  that  as  he  had  been 
robbed  of  his  home  and  country  he  must  seek  another 
island  home.  We  all  felt  sorry  that  the  anticipations 
which  John  had  cherished,  only  a few  weeks  before,  qf 


NEW  ZEALAND  CHIEF. 


140  Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


There  are  six  principal  islands  in  the  Tonga  group,  sev- 
eral small,  uninhabited  ones,  and  many  coral  reefs  and 
shoals.  They  were  discovered  by  Abel  Janssen  Tasman, 
the  eminent  Dutch  navigator,  in  1642.  They  were 
visited  by  Captain  Cook  in  1773,  and  are  often  called 
the  Friendly  Islands  of  Captain  Cook.” 

During  our  passage  of  sixteen  days  we  were  favored 
with  light,  balmy  breezes.  We  passed  Sunday  and  sev- 
eral other  islands.  Witnessed  several  very  remarkable 
halos  around  the  sun,  in  circles,  half-circles,  and  seg- 
ments of  circles. 

On  the  2 2d  we  made  the  island  of  Tongataboo  right 
ahead,  rounded  its  eastern  end,  and  stood  down  Astrolabe 
Channel.  While  in  the  middle  of  the  channel  the  ship 
ran  upon  a coral  reef.  We  hit  it  in  the  center  and  split 
this  huge  coral  mushroom  in  halves.  As  the  two  halves 
fell  over,  the  ship  settled  to  her  water-line  unhurt,  and 
in  a short  time  we  came  to  anchor  off  Nukualofa,  the 
residence  of  King  Josias,  or  Pubou.  While  lying  here 
we  found  our  tender,  the  Flying  Fish,  and  the  British 
brig  Currency  Lass  at  anchor.  We  surveyed  the  channel 
and  found  no  shoal  in  the  place  where  the  ship  had 
struck,  and  we  had  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  we 
had  rid  the  channel  of  one  great  danger  without  injury 
to  our  ship. 

Mr.  Tucker  and  Mr.  Rabone,  two  Wesleyan  mission- 
aries, lived  at  Nukualofa.  Mrs.  Tucker  took  great  pride 
in  teaching  the  native  children  to  read  and  write.  The 
island  was  extremely  fruitful,  and  was  covered  with  rich 
foliage.  At  that  time  it  contained  ten  thousand  inhabit- 
ants. The  highest  part  of  Tongataboo  is  sixty  feet  above 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


141 


the  level  of  the  sea.  The  inhabitants  were  warlike  ; and 
war  councils,  speech-making,  and  drinking  ava  consti- 
tuted the  chief  business  of  their  lives. 

While  we  were  here  two  parties,  called  the  Christians 
and  the  Devils,”  were  at  war.  Our  commodore  strove 
earnestly  to  restore  the  blessings  of  peace.  The  head 
chiefs  of  each  party,  with  fifty  of  their  followers,  were 
invited  on  board  to  a peace  council.  They  came  the 
next  day  in  two  large  canoes  and  several  small  ones, 
the  Christians  taking  the  starboard  side,  and  the 
‘‘Devils”  the  larboard  side.  All  had  their  faces  pro- 
fusely adorned  with  war  paint.  Some  were  painted 
white  ; some  black,  with  vermilion  circles  around  their 
eyes,  and  their  noses  of  the  same  bright  hue  ; some  with 
jet-black  faces,  vermilion  around  their  eyes,  and  with 
white  or  yellow  noses ; others  with  yellow,  red,  black 
and  white  stripes  crossing  their  faces  in  all  directions ; 
some  half  red,  black,  or  white;  and  others  completely 
covered  with  small  dots  of  red,  white,  yellow,  and  black. 
Besides  the  small  piece  of  tapa  worn  around  the  waist, 
they  had  orange  and  straw-colored  ribbons,  made  of  the 
pandanus  leaves,  tied  around  their  legs  and  arms,  above 
and  below  their  knees  and  elbows.  Some  wore  them 
around  their  necks,  and  others  over  the  left  or  right 
shoulder,  or  both.  The  bands  were  three  inches  wide 
and  very  pliable.  The  Christians  wore  turbans,  called 
sa/a,  adorned  with  beautiful  flowers.  The  “Devils”  had 
their  hair  tied  in  a large  knot  on  one  side  of  the  head. 
They  were  armed  cap-a-pie  with  spears  and  war-clubs. 
Only  the  big  chiefs — there  were  over  a hundred  of 
them  — were  allowed  on  board. 


7^2 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


The  scene  was  novel  and  picturesque  in  the  extreme. 
'There  they  squatted  in  a body  on  the  quarter-deck,  all 
eager  for  the  fight,  and  all  eagerly  listening  to  the  great 
pow-wow.  The  Christians  were  represented  by  the 
missionary,  Mr.  Tucker;  the  ‘M^evils,”  by  a runaway 
English  convict  from  Sydney.  At  the  close  of  the  great 
pow-wow  we  understood  that  peace  was  declared  between 
them.  Then  the  commodore  made  them  presents  of  a 
lot  of  beads,  several  yards  of  bright-colored  calico,  some 
harmonicas  and  jews^-harps,  anda number  of  large,  bright- 
red,  cotton  umbrellas,  with  which  all  were  highly  delighted, 
and  soon  left  the  ship.  Before  they  reached  the  shore, 
however,  hostilities  recommenced.  The  fight  lasted  all 
night.  Next  morning  we  learned  that  both  parties  were 
victorious  ; so  they  called  it  a drawn  battle.  When  we 
went  on  shore  the  missionaries  told  us  they  had  gained  a 
great  victory  over  the Devils,”  and  were  now  in  pos- 
session of  their  yam  grounds  which  the  latter  had  taken 
from  them  several  months  before. 

How  the  missionaries  and  their  wives  could  live  among 
those  savages,  in  danger  of  their  lives  night  and  day,  was 
more  than  we  could  comprehend. 

On  May  4th  we  bade  our  Christian  friends  adieu,  and 
after  taking  a final  leave  of  the Devils,”  we  got  under 
way  at  daylight  and  left  the  harbor  of  Nukualofa.  I 
doubt  if  any  of  our  crew  ever  forgot  this  place,  if  for  no 
other  reason  than  because  of  the  mosquitoes.  They  were 
so  thick  that  when  we  went  below  on  the  gun  or  berth 
decks,  it  sounded  as  if  there  were  several  hundred  music- 
boxes  playing  together.  Like  Job’s  ^^comforters’’  they 
smote  us  from  the  crowns  of  our  heads  to  the  soles  of  our 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


^43 


feet.  To  escape  from  our  tormentors  we  sought  shelter 
ill  the  tops  and  cross-trees.  Here  they  were  not  so  numer- 
ous, but  they  were  just  as  ravenous,  and  their  bite  equally 
venomous. 

At  noon  we  passed  the  islands  of  Honga  d onga  and 
HongaHapai.  On  the  5 th  we  made  Turtle  and  several 
other  small  islands.  After  leaving  Tonga  all  hands  were 
more  or  less  afflicted  with  ulcers,  caused  by  those  terrible 
mosquito  bites.  The  sores  were  inflammatory,  and  difficult 
to  cure.  During  the  night  we  had  a strong  wind  from 
the  sou’east.  The  ship  was  hove  to,  to  wait  for  day- 
light. Just  at  dawn  we  discovered  several  small  islands 
close  aboard  on  our  lee  bows,  also  a large  reef  right 
ahead.  Our  close  vicinity  to  them  was  caused  by  a 
strong  current  setting  to  the  northward.  Had  darkness 
continued  a little  longer,  no  doubt  our  ship  would  have 
been  wrecked,  and  the  crew  massacred  by  the  natives. 

May  6.  Weather  hazy,  with  heavy  gale  blowing  from 
the  south.  Ship  under  close-reefed  top-sails.  It  is  not 
very  pleasant  to  cruise  in  bad  weather  where  there  are 
so  many  sunken  reefs  and  shoals  as  are  found  in  these 
seas. 

May  7.  Weather  fair,  with  a light  wind  from  the 
south,  and  a heavy,  chop  sea.  At  daylight  we  found 
ourselves  surrounded  with  several  beautiful  islands,  girt 
about  by  coral  reefs.  It  was  a grand  sight  to  view  them 
from  aloft,  and  see  the  deep-blue  waters  of  the  ocean 
curling  into  white  foam,  and  dashing  its  silvery  spray 
over  them.  When  the  rising  sun  shone  upon  them  the 
scene  was  gorgeous,  the  surf  having  the  appearance  of 
beautiful  rainbows  resting  on  the  bosom  of  the  ocean. 


144 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


VVx  shuddered,  however,  as  we  gazed  upon  this  fair  group 
of  islands,  and  remembered  that  they  were  the  homes  of 
a ferocious  race  of  cannibals,  or  man-eaters,  and  that  we 
had  so  narrowly  escaped  being  wrecked  upon  their 
shores. 


CHAFFER  X. 


The  Fiji  Islands  were  discovered  by  Tasman  in  1643. 
There  are  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  islands  in  the 
group,  sixty  of  which  were  then  inhabited  by  one  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  cannibals. 

During  the  forenoon  of  May  8th  we  came  to  anchor 
in  the  harbor  of  Levuka,  island  of  Ovolau.  Thousands 
of  natives  lined  the  beach,  watching  our  manoeuvres  with 
their  usual  curiosity.  When  all  hands,  dressed  in  their 
white  frocks  and  trousers,  mounted  the  rigging,  ran  up 
aloft,  and  lay  out  on  the  yards  to  furl  the  sails,  the  won- 
dering natives  screeched  like  so  many  hyenas,  and  per- 
formed such  antics  that  we  could  hardly  believe  they 
belonged  to  the  human  race. 

We  soon  had  a visit  from  Tanoa,  the  king  of  these 
cannibal  islands,  with  several  of  his  chiefs,  and  an 
American  sailor  by  the  name  of  David  Whippy,  who  had 
run  away  from  his  ship  on  account  of  ill  treatment,  and 
had  lived  on  this  island  eighteen  years,  acting  as  inter- 
preter for  the  king.  They  were  nearly  naked,  after  the 
native  fashion.  The  king  wore  a scanty  ma7'o  about  his 
loins,  with  the  long  ends  hanging  down  in  front  and 
behind.  He  had  a large  turban  of  white  tapa  cloth  upon 
his  head,  and  a mother-of-pearl  shell  as  large  as  a dinner- 


7^6  Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 

plate,  beautifully  crimshonned  ” or  carved,  hung  from 
his  neck  upon  his  breast.  Above  the  elbows  he  wore 
armlets  made  from  tortoise-shell.  His  hair  was  so  bushy 
that  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  cover  it  with  a 


A FIJI  BEAUTY,  ONE  OF  TANOA^S  DAUGHTERS. 


bushel  basket.  His  face  and  long  beard  were  bedaubed 
with  rancid  cocoanut  oil  and  ivory-black,  which  gave 
him  a very  hideous  appearance.  His  body,  like  those 
of  all  his  people,  was  very  hairy.  He  was  about  six  feet 
in  height,  slenderly  built,  with  small,  piercing,  black 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


^47 


eyes.  He  looked  very  cunning,  and  every  inch  a savage. 
As  he  and  his  suite  came  over  the  gangway  and  stood  on 
deck,  the  ship’s  pet,  Sydney,  a beautiful,  large  Newfound- 
land dog  which  had  been  presented  to  the  commodore 
by  the  governor  of  Australia,  got  sight  of  him.  The 
chief’s  appearance  did  not  make  a very  favorable  impres- 
sion on  Sydney,  for  the  dog  kept  in  front  of  him,  growl- 
ing and  looking  savagely  at  him.  When  within  a few  feet 
of  the  dog  the  king  took  the  front  end  of  his  ?na7V  and 
shook  it  at  him.  The  dog  grabbed  it  and  tore  it  entirely 
from  his  body.  The  king  was  so  frightened  that  he  fell 
on  the  deck.  One  of  the  quartermasters  seized  the 
dog  by  the  collar,  and,  by  order  of  the  commodore, 
put  him  in  the  brig. 

I believe  Sydney  was  the  first  dog  that  the  king  had 
ever  seen.  He  soon  recovered  from  his  fright,  and,  with 
his  suite  and  Mr.  Whippy,  was  shown  over  the  ship.  He 
took  a great  fancy  to  the  ship’s  wheel,  and  wanted  the 
captain  to  make  him  a present  of  it.  He  was  very  much 
astonished  when  told  that  we  steered  the  ship  with  it. 
When  he  saw  the  battery  he  wanted  to  know  if  the  guns 
were  not  black  dogs.  Two  of  the  guns  were  fired  off, 
double  shotted.  Seeing  the  balls  skip  over  the  surface 
of  the  water  and  throw  up  its  spray  into  the  air,  he  was 
greatly  surprised,  and  requested  that  no  more  guns  be 
fired.  They  were  much  pleased  with  the  ship  and  every- 
thing they  saw.  Lunch  was  served  for  them  in  the 
wardroom,  of  which  they  partook  most  heartily,  evidently 
enjoying  it  much,  especially  the  nuts  and  raisins  and 
some  old  Dutch  cheese.  The  military  exercises  of  our 
marines,  their  marching,  counter- marching,  halting,  and 


148 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


forward  man  hing,  to  the  music  of  fife  and  drum,  and 
the  commands  to  shoulder,  carry,  present,  and  ground 
arms,  highly  delighted  them.  After  remaining  on  board 
several  hours  they  were  given  presents  of  whale’s  teeth, 
axes,  accordions,  boxes  of  Windsor  soap,  plane-irons, 
jews’-harps,  red  paint,  and  large,  bright,  brass  buttons. 
They  then  departed  for  the  shore,  greatly  pleased  with 
their  visit  and  presents. 

The  next  day,  as  usual  on  our  arrival  at  any  prominent 
place,  we  erected  our  observatory.  We  chose  a hill 
about  a quarter  of  a mile  from  the  beach.  The  observ- 
atory consisted  of  several  portable  houses,  built  in  New 
York.  The  pendulum  house  was  about  twenty  feet 
square,  and  eighteen  feet  in  height.  The  transit  and 
telescope  buildings  were  somewhat  smaller.  These,  with 
six  tents,  made  quite  a village,  and  greatly  astonished 
the  natives. 

May  9.  Two  small  trading  sloops  arrived  to-day, 
the  Who 'd  Have  Thought  It  and  Nonesuch.  They 
were  tenders  to  the  ship  Leonidas,  Captain  Eggleston, 
which  was  at  another  island.  The  Leonidas  was  a South 
Sea  trader,  for  tortoise-shell  and  beche  de  mer.  Among 
the  runaway  English  convicts  here  was  a short,  red- 
headed, wrinkled  old  Irishman,  by  the  name  of  Paddy 
Connell.  He  had  a long  gray  beard,  which  hung  down 
to  his  waist.  He  had  lived  on  these  islands  forty  years, 
and  in  dress  and  looks  strongly  resembled  these  Fiji 
cannibals.  He  said  it  seemed  to  him  sometimes  as 
though  he  was  living  out  of  the  world  ; but  that  he 
was  very  happy,  for  he  had  five  wives  and  forty- eight 
children. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast.  J4g 


Here,  as  at  all  the  islands  we  visited,  our  boats,  the 
Greyhound,  Lion,  Fox,  Turtle,  Nightingale,  Lizard, 


ONE  OF  PADDY  CONNELL’S  FIVE  WIVES. 

Leopard,  Elephant,  White  Handkerchief,  and  Bear, 
and  the  two  cutters  were  fitted  out  and  provisioned  with 
eight  or  ten  days’  rations  in  order  to  survey  the  different 
islands,  reefs,  and  bays. 


/ 50  Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


No  doubt  it  would  sound  odd  to  a countryman  to 
hear  the  boatswain  and  his  mates  blow  through  their 
silver  calls  (whistles),  which  are  about  four  inches  long, 
and  sing  out,  one  after  the  other,  Away,  there,  you 
Leopards,  away  ! ” You  Foxes,  away  ! ” ‘^You  Lions, 
away  ! ” Come,  hurry  into  your  boats  ! ” Away,  there, 
you  Elephants!”  ‘‘You  Turtles,  and  White  Handker- 
chiefs, away  ! ” It  might  be  that  some  of  the  boats’ 
crews  were  down  on  the  berth  deck,  and  then  it  was, 
“Hurry  up,  there,  you  Penguins,  you  Nightingales,  you 
Albatrosses,  and  man  your  boats  ! ” There  were  two 
officers  and  five  men  attached  to  each  boat  while  we 
were  surveying. 

The  following  were  the  orders  given  by  the  commo- 
dore to  the  officers  of  the  boats  : 

1.  You  will  avoid  landing  anywhere  on  the  mainland  or  islands, 
unless  the  latter  should  l)e  uninhabited. 

2.  Every  precaution  must  be  observed  in  trading  wdth  these 
natives;  and  no  native  must  be  suffered  to  come  alongside,  or  near 
our  boats,  without  our  boarding-nettings  being  up.  All  trading 
must  be  carried  on  over  the  stern  of  the  boat,  and  your  arms  and 
howitzers  ready  to  repel  attack. 

3.  You  will  avoid  any  disputes  with  them,  and  never  be  off  your 
guard,  or  free  from  suspicion.  They  are  in  no  case  to  be  trusted. 

4.  Your  two  boats  must  never  be  separated  at  night,  but  be 
anchored  as  -close  together  as  possible. 

These  and  other  instructions  were  often  given  while 
standing  in  the  bow  of  the  boat,  heaving  the  lead,  or 
resting  on  our  oars  while  the  officers  were  measuring  base 
by  sound. 

When  looking  down  into  the  water  upon  the  coral 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


reefs,  we  could  see  coral  shrubs  of  pink,  yellow,  white, 
green,  orange, — in  fact,  of  all  colors,  forms,  and  sizes. 
There  were  also  many  shell- fish  ; and  everywhere  beauti- 
ful fishes  were  swimming  among  the  coral  branches.  It 
was  amusing  to  watch  the  shell-fish  as  they  crawled  from 
their  shells,  and  then  dragged  them  behind.  Beautiful 
orange-colored  cowries,  harp-shells,  pearl  oysters,  conchs, 
and  many  other  odd- shaped  shells  and  fishes  were  plainly 
visible.  There  seemed  to  be  continual  war  among  these 
finny  tribes  and  testacea  in  the  midst  of  their  fairy-like 
regions.  Sometimes  a small  fish  would  swim  along  over 
a shell- fish,  when  the  latter  would  seize  it  and  draw  it 
into  his  shell.  When  a lamprey  eel  or  a shovel-nosed 
shark  made  his  appearance,  which  was  very  often,  every 
living  thing  disappeared  in  an  instant.  The  shell-fish 
suddenly  crawled  back  into  their  shells ; all  the  other 
fishes  quietly  hid  away  among  the  coral  bushes  ; and  the 
turtles  drew  their  heads  and  feet  well  into  their  shells. 
We  often  saw  small,  ravenous,  cowardly  sharks  gulp  down 
many  small  fishes,  more  beautiful  than  butterflies  or  hum- 
ming-birds. Frequently  a lamprey  eel  would  attack  a 
large  conch,  tear  the  fish  from  its  shell  and  devour  it. 

One  morning  our  second  officer.  Midshipman  Thomp- 
son, espied  a beautiful  Venus  shell  lying  at  the  bottom, 
on  the  weather  side  of  the  boat.  He  partially  undressed, 
and  was  in  the  attitude  of  diving  into  the  water  for  the 
shell,  when  a white,  deep-sea  shark,  fourteen  feet  long, 
swam  from  under  the  boat.  The  sudden  appearance  of 
the  shark  so  completely  paralyzed  Mr.  Thompson  with 
fear  that  he  fell  down  in  the  boat  unconscious,  and  it 
was  some  time  before  consciousness  could  be  restored. 


1^2  Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 

The  white  shark  is  worshiped  by  the  natives  as  one  of 
their  gods.  They  are  considered  sacred  and  are  never 
harmed  by  them. 

On  the  morning  of  the  i8th  of  June  David  Bateman, 
of  the  brig  Porpoise,  breathed  his  last  and  his  spirit  took 
its  flight  to  God  who  gave  it.  He  was  buried  in  our 


CANNIBAL  CHIEF,  VENDOVI. 


small  garden  on  the  hill,  close  by  the  observatory,  with 
martial  honors.  The  impressive  burial  service  of  the 
Episcopal  Church  was  read  by  our  chaplain  ; three  vol- 
leys were  fired  over  the  grave  by  the  marines  ; the  earth 
thrown  in,  and  the  grave  filled  up ; thus  the  melancholy 
scene  was  closed. 

While  the  Peacock  was  at  Rewa  surveying  the  island. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


^33 


Captain  Hudson  captured  the  celebrated  chief,  Vendovi, 
who  in  1834  massacred  eleven  of  the  crew  of  the  Amer- 
ican brig  Chai^les  Dagget  of  Salem,  Captain  Batcheller 
commander.  The  Daggers  boat  went  ashore  early  one 
morning,  and  the  crew  had  proceeded  half-way  up  to 
the  beche  de  mer  house  when  they  were  suddenly  sur- 
prised by  a party  of  these  cannibals  who  had  been  lying 
in  ambush.  They  were  seized  and  firmly  held,  while  the 
chief,  Vendovi,  knocked  them  on  the  head  with  his 
handy  billy,  a small  war-club  made  of  iron-wood.  This 
horrible  crime  was  committed  in  order  to  get  possession 
of  the  trading  or  Jew  box,  containing  cheap  trinkets,  and 
some  hatchets,  plane- irons,  etc.  The  Dagget  was  a 
South  Sea  trader,  for  sandal-wood,  tortoise-shell,  and 
beche  de  mer,  which  were  taken  to  China  and  traded  for 
teas  and  silks.  Nearly  all  the  Pacific  and  Chinese  trade 
carried  on  in  this  country  eighty  years  ago  was  confined 
to  Salem.  The  sandal-wood  referred  to  is  a deliciously 
fragrant,  scented  wood.  The  Chinese  burn  it  in  their 
temples  as  incense  to  their  gods.  The  beche  de  mer,  or 
sea-slug,  is  a sort  of  round  jelly-fish,  from  six  to  twelve 
inches  long,  and  two  in  diameter,  and  of  a reddish- 
brown  color.  They  are  found  in  great  abundance  on  the 
coral  reefs.  The  natives  fish  for  them  at  night  by  the 
light  of  the  moon,  and  with  torches.  These  fish  hide 
themselves  during  the  day  in  the  crevices  of  the  coral 
reefs.  They  sally  forth  at  night  and  creep  out  upon  the 
reefs  like  caterpillars.  After  they  are  gathered  they  are 
thoroughly  dried,  or  cured,  and  then  resemble  a well- 
fried  sausage.  The  Chinese  make  an  excellent  soup  of 
them ; the  natives  eat  them  raw. 


J54 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


This  town,  or  koros^  as  it  was  called,  contained  about 
fifty  houses.  They  were  built  of  the  same  material  as 
those  at  the  other  islands,  but  were  differently  con- 
structed : the  roofs  being  very  steep,  and  the  ridge-pole 
projecting  at  each  end,  often  ornamented  with  shells. 


FIJI  CHIEF,  TUI  LEVUKA. 


This  koros  was  situated  in  a grove  of  mangrove  bushes, 
surrounded  by  many  bread-fruit,  cocoanut,  and  banana 
trees.  The  interior  of  their  houses  was  kept  quite  clean. 
The  house  of  the  chief,  Tui  Levuka,  was  a large,  barn- 
like structure,  nearly  two  hundred  feet  square.  The  roof 
was  very  high  and  peaked,  and  there  were  two  narrow 
openings,  or  doorways,  one  at  each  end.  Several  of  us 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


entered  it  one  day,  and  found  it  to  contain  but  one  large 
room.  The  floor  was  partially  covered  with  mats  and 
tapa.  In  the  center,  at  one  end  of  the  room,  was  a large 
pit,  lined  with  stones,  where  they  built  their  fires  and 
did  their  cooking.  It  was  inclosed  by  seven  posts,  about 
six  feet  high.  The  roof  was  covered  with  the  leaves  of 
the  pandanus.  Earthen  jars,  holding  from  one  to  eight 
gallons,  oval  at  the  bottom,  and  with  a small  opening  at 
the  top,  together  with  a lot  of  junk-bottles  and  drinking- 
vessels  were  hanging  from  the  posts  and  the  roof.  These 
utensils  were  made  at  the  pottery  by  the  women.  Nearly 
all  the  labor,  both  indoors  and  out,  was  performed  by 
the  women.  They  were  kept  in  subjection  and  in  a state 
of  great  degradation,  and  were  often  tied  up  and  flogged. 
They  were  the  abject  slaves  of  their  lords  and  masters, 
who,  if  not  at  war  with  some  neighboring  tribe,  might  be 
found  in  their  huts  or  in  some  shady  nook  asleep  or  tell- 
ing stories.  Of  the  latter  amusement  they  were  very  fond, 
especially  if  the  stories  were  false.  It  might  be  truly  said 
that  the  one  who  could  tell  the  biggest  lie  was  held  in 
the  highest  esteem  by  them. 

Nearly  all  their  food  was  cooked  in  the  jars  of  which 
we  have  previously  spoken.  A very  little  water  is  put  in 
the  jar  with  the  food  to  be  cooked ; the  mouth  is  then 
stuffed  with  green  plantain  leaves,  and  the  jar  placed  on 
the  fire.  Some  of  these  jars  were  held  sacred,  and  noth- 
ing but  human  flesh  was  cooked  in  them.  These  were 
kept  in  the  mabu7'e,  or  spirit  houses.  These  cannibals 
considered  the  fleshy  parts  of  the  arms  and  legs  the  most 
palatable  portions  of  the  human  body. 

Another  method  of  cooking  human  bodies  was  this : 


1^6 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


By  means  of  pointed  sticks  a large  trench  was  dug  in 
the  earth.  This  trench  was  then  lined  with  stones,  and 
had  a fire  built  in  it.  After  the  stones  had  become  suf- 
ficiently heated,  the  bottom  was  covered  with  many  layers 
of  banana  and  plantain  leaves.  Three  human  bodies  were 
then  brought  from  the  mabure  house  and  laid  in  the 
trench  upon  the  thick  bed  of  leaves,  together  with  some 
hogs,  and  a large  quantity  of  yams  and  taro.  The  whole 
was  then  covered  with  large  quantities  of  leaves,  and  a 
fire  built  on  top.  It  is  a great  cause  for  gratitude  that  the 
light  of  Christianity  has  penetrated  to  these  dark  regions, 
and  that  such  horribly  barbarous  customs  have  ceased 
to  exist. 

A favorite  pudding  among  these  natives  was  called 
okalolos,  of  which  they  made  several  kinds.  The  following 
is  the  recipe  : Half  a calabash  was  first  lined  with  a few 
plantain  leaves.  A layer  of  the  golden  banana  cut  in 
slices  was  placed  on  the  bottom,  and  on  this  was  laid 
another  layer  of  a different  flavor,  and  so  on.  The  meat 
of  the  cocoanut,  which  is,  when  ripe  and  freshly  gathered, 
as  soft  as  jelly,  was  placed  between  the  alternate  layers, 
which  were  continued  until  the  dish  was  filled.  The  milk 
of  the  cocoanuts  was  then  poured  over  the  whole,  and 
then  the  ends  of  the  plantain  leaves,  with  which  the  dish 
was  lined  and  which  had  projected  above  the  top  of  the 
dish,  were  gathered  up  and  tied  around  with  a string 
taken  from  the  bark  of  a tree,  after  which  the  jar  was 
placed  in  the  trench,  under  the  leaves,  to  steam.  It 
takes  about  four  hours  to  cook  a dinner  in  this  manner, 
but  these  Fiji  okalolos  were  steamed  in  about  thirty 
minutes,  and  I can  testify  that  they  far  excelled  all  the 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


cakes,  pies,  and  puddings  which  I ever  ate  elsewhere. 
I have  eaten  suet  and  minute  puddings,  English  plum 
duffs,  Jennie’s  kisses,  ‘^my  Mary  Ann’s  cookies,”  angel 
cakes,  Satan’s  best  cakes,  charlotte  russes,  pies  of  all 
kinds,  and  many  other  dishes  with  euphonious  names, 
but  the-  Fiji  okalolos^  or  fruit  puddings,  leave  all  of 
them  far  ^‘astern.” 

While  here,  we  visited  the  chief  Tui  Levuka.  One 
day,  while  at  his  house,  I walked  on  my  hands,  turned 
several  hand- springs  and  two  or  three  somersets,  that  I 
learned  while  attached  to  the  circus.  The  old  chief 
and  Tanoa  the  king,  who  was  a guest  of  the  chief,  were 
greatly  surprised,  and  always  afterwards  pointed  to  me 
as  a spirit. 

One  afternoon  we  were  invited  to  the  malmre^  or 
priest’s  house.  These  houses  were  about  twelve  to  fif- 
teen feet  square,  with  the  roof  about  thirty  feet.  They 
are  built  on  a mound  or  a pile  of  stones.  It  is  here 
they  hold  their  councils  and  entertain  strangers. 

On  our  arrival  we  were  assigned  seats  in  front  of  the 
viabiti'e,  on  some  stones.  Presently  a big,  muscular 
native  made  his  appearance  from  behind  a high  rock, 
with  something  under  his  arm  which  resembled  a short 
hog-trough,  which  he  dropped  on  the  ground.  A group 
of  one  hundred  young  Fiji  women,  whose  heads  were 
profusely  adorned  with  orange  blossoms,  were  seated 
upon  the  ground.  When  the  native  arrived  in  front 
of  the  group  he  commenced  beating  on  the  trough, 
or  Fiji  drum,  with  a small  war-club.  It  produced  a 
loud,  hollow  sound,  anything  but  musical.  Then  the 
orchestra,  consisting  of  a group  of  maidens,  commenced 


1^8 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


to  play ; some  on  two  joints  of  small  bamboo,  with  two 
holes  at  one  end,  two  in  the  middle,  and  one  at  the 
other  end.  To  this  latter  the  left  nostril  was  applied. 
Others  had  four  or  five  joints  of  large  bamboo,  opened 
at  each  end,  which  they  beat  upon  with  a small  stick. 
Some  beat  two  sticks  together,  and  some  clapped  their 
hands  to  make  a sharp  sound,  while  others  gave  a sort 
of  grunt  down  in  their  throats,  which  produced  a sound 
similar  to  that  of  a weak-toned  bass  drum.  Occasion- 
ally the  musicians  would  sing  a monotonous  song  on  one 
note,  the  bass  alternating  with  the  melody.  The  whole 
produced  discordant  sounds,  which  could  hardly  be 
called  music,  and  I fear  would  fail  to  be  appreciated  by 
a Boston  audience.  They  kept  excellent  time,  however. 

AVhile  the  musicians  were  playing,  the  major  drum- 
mer made  his  appearance  from  behind  the  huge  rock. 
He  was  completely  covered  with  green  and  dried  leaves. 
Vines  and  creepers  were  bound  about  him  in  every  way. 
On  his  head  he  wore  a mask  resembling  a boar’s  head, 
painted  red  on  one  side  and  black  on  the  other.  His 
baton  was  a huge  war-club.  He  would  turn  around  at 
times  and  present  arms  ” with  it ; then  toss  it  up  in  the 
air  end  over  end,  and  catch  it  as  it  came  down.  His 
movements  were  quite  similar  to  those  of  our  major 
drummers.  He  was  greatly  applauded  by  the  spectators. 

He  was  followed  by  a procession  of  natives,  all  dressed 
in  gala  attire,  wearing  white  salas  and  new  masi.  The 
chiefs  had  wreaths  of  natural  flowers  and  vines  twined 
around  their  turbans,  which  gave  a pretty  effect.  Their 
faces  were  painted  in  various  styles,  some  wholly  ver- 
milion, some  half  vermilion,  the  other  half  black,  with 


Twenty  Years  Before  tie  Mast, 


1^9 


white  or  orange-colored  noses ; others  with  white  or 
black  faces,  and  red  or  yellow  noses.  As  they  entered 
the  area,  their  progress  became  slower.  They  walked 
six  abreast,  taking  three  measured  steps,  then  halted. 


FIJI  MAJOR  DRUMMER. 


The  first  three  divisions  then  bent  forward,  and  when 
they  straightened  up  the  eighteen  in  the  rear  would  bend 
down,  and  so  on,  till  all  had  gone  through  the  bending 
process.  At  the  close  of  each  strain  of  music  they  placed 
their  war-clubs  in  a variety  of  positions,  as  our  soldiers 
do  their  guns  when  training;  such  as  shoulder,” 
carry,”  and  present  arms.”  When  all  had  entered 


i6o  Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 

the  square,  they  bowed  very  gracefully  to  us,  and  then 
suddenly  became  quite  violent  in  their  actions,  jumping 
up  and  down,  treading  the  ground  furiously,  brandishing 
their  war-clubs,  and  all  of  a sudden  gave  some  of  the 
most  unearthly  yells  imaginable.  We  were  all  well 
armed,  kept  a bright  lookout,  and  feared  no  danger. 
Finally  they  gave  a tremendous  ‘^wha-hoo,”  then  fell 
to  the  ground  and  kissed  it.  This  ended  the  Fiji 
club  dance. 

John  Sac,  or  Tuatci,  our  New  Zealand  shipmate,  then 
danced  his  country’s  dance,  which  was  one  of  great 
energy  and  violence,  and  greatly  astonished  the  Fiji 
natives.  After  this  there  was  a ‘Move  dance”  by  the 
young  women  musicians,  which  consisted  simply  in  bow- 
ing very  prettily  to  us,  bending  and  twisting  the  body 
backward  and  forward,  and  throwing  the  arms  about, 
without  moving  the  feet.  The  performance  closed  by 
a loud  clapping  of  the  hands.  This  ended  the  matinee. 

The  natives  were  very  fond  of  sports  and  games. 
The  girls  played  vitnoli,  which  was  performed  by  tossing 
up  and  keeping  five  or  six  oranges  circling  around  the 
head.  Another  game,  called  libigilla,  was  wrapping  a 
girl  up  in  a mat,  and  carrying  her  to  another  to  guess 
her  name.  If  she  guessed  wrong,  a forfeit  of  yams  and 
taro  must  be  given  for  a treat.  The  boys  pitched  quoits 
with  a mother-of-pearl  shell,  and  also  played  at  hide-and- 
seek.  Another  of  their  games  was  called  vitaki,  which 
consisted  in  throwing  a stick  from  a length  of  bamboo. 
The  one  who  could  throw  it  the  highest  or  farthest  was 
considered  the  winner. 

The  Peacocks  treated  the  natives  t3  a regular,  old- 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


idt 


fashioned  negro  entertainment.  Juba  and  Zib  Coon 
danced  and  highly  delighted  them,  and  the  Virginia  reel 
set  them  wild.  Then  followed  a novel  representation  of 
a donkey.  Two  of  the  Peacock's  crew  stood  back  to 
back,  and  were  tied  loosely  together  about  the  waist. 
Iron  belaying-pins  were  put  into  their  hands,  which 
served  for  feet.  They  then  bent  forward  so  they  could 
strike  the  deck  with  the  iron  pins.  A Mackintosh 
blanket  was  thrown  over  them,  a pair  of  old  -shoes  served 
as  ears,  and  a ship’s  swab  for  tail.  When  this 
donkey,  with  his  comical  looking  rider,  Jim  Crow  Rice, 
on  his  back,  made  his  appearance  from  between  two  of 
the  guns  which  had  been  screened  off  with  a tarpaulin, 
they  were  frightened,  but  the  sound  of  the  animal’s  feet 
on  deck  and  the  braying  of  the  beast  fairly  terrified 
them.  When  the  blanket  was  removed  and  they  saw 
only  two  men,  they  expressed  the  greatest  astonishment, 
and  even  laid  their  hands  on  them  to  satisfy  themselves 
that  they  were  not  two  mules. 

In  the  afternoon  the  officers  heard  that  an  attack 
would  be  made  on  the  observatory  during  the  night  by 
a party  of  warriors  from  the  chief  Vendovi’s  district,  as 
they  had  learned  that  the  chief  was  a prisoner  in  irons 
on  board  our  ship.  Their  object  was  to  secure  Captain 
Wilkes,  and  by  that  means  compel  an  exchange  of  pris- 
oners. The  commodore  immediately  came  on  board 
ship.  The  observatory  was  re-inforced  by  the  first  part 
of  the  starboard  watch,  armed  and  equipped  for  any 
emergency.  The  ship  was  laid  broadside  to  the  shore, 
with  springs  on  her  cables,  so  as  to  bring  the  guns  to 
bear  on  each  side  of  the  observatory. 


1 62  Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


Just  before  sunset  six  large  war-canoes  came  to  anchor 
behind  a point  about  a mile  ahead  of  the  ship.  Our 
guns  were  loaded  with  canister  and  a stand  of  grape  and 
the  tompions  were  left  out.  The  battle-lanterns  were 
lighted  and  placed  between  the  guns.  During  the  night 
many  natives  were  seen  skulking  about  the  observatory. 
The  night  passed,  however,  without  any  disturbance, 
except  a false  alarm  caused  by  the  accidental  discharge 
of  a musket  in  the  hands  of  one  of  the  sentinels,  John 
Van  deck,  a big  Dutchman,  who  swore  that  the  gun 
was  not  loaded,”  and  that  ^Ot  went  oif  itself.”  In  the 
morning  we  commenced  breaking  up  the  observatory, 
and  carried  all  the  instruments  on  board  ship. 


CHAPTER  XL 


While  here,  besides  the  vessels,  seventeen  boats  had 
been  actively  engaged  in  surveying  the  different  islands, 
reefs,  and  bays.  We  were  sometimes  absent  from  the 
ship  fifteen  or  eighteen  days  at  a time,  without  ever  being 
out  of  the  boats,  and  were  continually  in  danger  from 
the  treachery  of  the  natives,  who  were  ever  watching  for 
an  opportunity  to  entrap  us. 

The  ship’s  launch.  Lieutenant  Oliver  H.  Perry,  grand- 
son of  Commodore  Perry  of  Lake  Erie  fame,  and  the  first 
cutter.  Lieutenant  Samuel  R.  Knox,  grandson  of  General 
Knox,  one  of  the  old  Revolutionary  heroes,  while  survey- 
ing one  of  the  Windward  Islands  experienced  a very 
heavy  gale  from  the  south.  We  sought  shelter  in  Sualib 
Bay.  Here  we  lay  five  days  waiting  for  the  gale  to 
abate.  During  this  time  we  saw  but  few  natives.  Our 
store  of  provisions  was  exhausted,  and  we  subsisted  upon 
the  few  fish  we  could  catch,  and  those  we  were  obliged 
to  eat  raw.  Occasionally  we  would  secure  a few  cocoa- 
nuts  which  were  drifting  by  the  boats.  The  third  night 
the  rain  came  down  in  torrents,  and  we  filled  our  ten- 
gallon  breaker.  This  precious  supply  we  used  sparingly. 
On  the  fourth  day  a native  swam  out  to  the  cutter  with 
five  bananas,  which  were  equally  divided  between  the 


164 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Must. 


two  boats’  crews,  numbering  fourteen  men.  Our  boats 
had  left  the  ship  with  ten  days’  provisions,  and  this 
was  the  twenty-first  lay  we  had  been  absent.  At  noon 
the  weather  was  a little  more  moderate,  and  we  pre- 
pared to  leave  the  bay. 

When  we  got  under  way  to  beat  out,  standing  close  in 
shore,  in  going  about  we  missed  stays  and  the  cutter  was 
thrown  upon  the  reef.  After  several  ineffectual  efforts, 
we  found  it  quite  impossible  to  get  the  boat  off.  When 
Lieutenant  Perry  saw  our  condition  he  dropped  anchor 
a quarter  of  a mile  away,  in  order  to  assist  us  if  necessary. 
At  the  time  of  the  accident  not  a native  was  in  sight,  but 
soon  after  they  were  seen  flocking  down  to  the  beach  in 
scores,  armed  with  war-clubs  and  spears.  All  our  arms 
and  ammunition  were  soaked  with  salt  water.  We  were 
trying  to  save  something  in  the  cutter  when  Lieutenant 
Knox  sang  out,  They  are  coming  ! the  ‘ devils  ’ are 
coming!  Make  for  the  launch,  my  men!”  It  was 
fortunate  that  all  could  swim,  and  that,  too,  on  our  backs, 
for  the  splashing  of  the  water  with  our  hands  and  feet 
frightened  away  those  horrible  shovel-nosed  sharks  that 
are  so  numerous  about  the  coral  reefs. 

Even  in  our  perilous  position  we  could  not  help  feeling 
amused  to  see  the  devils  ” trampling  one  another  under- 
foot in  their  eagerness  to  secure  whatever  plunder  there 
was  to  be  found  in  the  cutter.  In  their  greed  they  even 
allowed  us  to  escape,  only  throwing  a few  spears,  and 
ulas,  or  short  clubs,  at  us,  which  we  managed  to  dodge. 
After  stripping  the  cutter  of  everything,  they  dragged 
her  over  the  reef,  up  into  a grove  of  mangrove  bushes. 

As  soon  as  all  were  safe  in  the  launch  we  got  under 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast.  lO^ 


way  and  stood  out ; but,  making  no  headway  against  the 
wind  and  sea,  we  anchored  a good  gunshot  from  the 
shore.  Late  in  the  evening  the  ‘Mevils  ” built  fourteen 
separate  fires  on  the  beach  opposite  our  boat.  Any  ship 
or  boat,  or  even  one  of  their  own  canoes,  when  driven 
on  shore,  was  by  them  considered  an  offering  to  the 
gods.  The  crews  of  these  fated  crafts,  even  though  they 
numbered  among  them  the  fathers,  mothers,  brothers, 
and  sisters  of  those  on  shore,  were  also  accounted  as 
offerings  to  the  gods,  and,  accordingly,  were  clubbed, 
roasted,  and  eaten.  This,  of  course,  would  have  been 
our  fate  had  we  been  taken. 

The  savages  had  quite  a number  of  muskets,  and,  after 
building  their  fires,  they  waded  out  on  the  reef  to  wind- 
ward and  fired  at  us,  but  we  were  too  far  away  to  receive 
injury  from  their  volleys,  though  several  of  the  spent 
balls  fell  in  our  boat.  During  the  night  many  of  the 
natives  swam  out  and,  diving,  tried  to  lift  our  anchor  or 
cut  our  cable,  and  thus  cause  us  to  drift  ashore.  We 
shot  quite  a number  of  them  and  captured  two.  Of  the 
latter,  one  proved  to  be  a great  chief,  the  other  an  infe- 
rior one.  They  had  swum  towards  us  to  spy  out  our 
weakness.  We  bound  them  hand  and  foot  and  placed 
them  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat.  As  soon  as  those  on 
shore  missed  their  chief  they  danced  and  wailed  around 
their  fires  like  so  many  fiends. 

Sunday  morning  was  ushered  in  with  clear  weather 
and  scarcely  a breath  of  wind.  At  sunrise  we  got  under 
way  and  stood  out.  When  going  over  the  bar  a big 
roller  came  head  on,  which  filled  our  boat  half  full  of 
water,  and  came  very  near  swamping  us.  The  two  chiefs 


1 66  Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 

in  the  bottom  of  the  boat  floundered  about  like  two  big 
lamprey  eels  on  dry  land.  AVe  soon  bailed  the  boat  out 
and  proceeded  in  quest  of  our  ships. 

At  six  bells,  eleven  o’clock,  we  made  Mbua  Bay.  In 
doubling  the  point  we  saw  our  ships  lying  quietly  at 
anchor.  How  our  hearts  bounded  with  joy  at  the  sight, 
and  how  we  cheered  the  dear  old  flags  floating  from  the 
mizzen  peaks  ! It  was  the  hour  of  Divine  service  on 
board,  but  this  was  soon  brought  to  a close.  The  rigging 
was  soon  manned,  and  we  were  hailed  with  cheers,  for 
all  hands  had  given  us  up  for  lost.  After  splicing  the 
mainbrace  ” and  eating  a hearty  dinner  of  plum  duff,  we 
were  given  our  hammocks,  and,  turning  in,  very  soon 
visited  Beulah  Land”  (home)  in  our  dreams. 

A little  past  midnight  the  schooner  and  eight  boats, 
well  manned  and  armed,  set  out  for  Sualib  Bay,  arriving 
early  in  the  morning.  After  an  early  breakfast  on  board 
the  Flying  Fish,  all  hands  went  ashore,  except  the  boats’ 
keepers  and  a dog-watch  on  board  the  schooner.  Soon 
after  landing  we  met  a small  party  of  the  natives,  and 
among  them  the  chief  of  Sualib.  Through  the  inter- 
preter, Mr.  AVhippy,  Captain  AAdlkes  demanded  of  the 
chief  the  cutter  and  everything  that  was  stolen  with  her. 
The  chief  replied  that  it  was  a tradition  of  theirs,  handed 
down  from  their  fathers,  that  when  a ship,  boat,  or  one 
of  their  own  canoes  was  cast  away  on  their  islands  they 
had  a right  to  take  possession  of  both  boat  and  crew  in 
the  name  of  the  Great  Spirit  to  whom  they  belonged, 
and  offer  up  the  crew  as  a sacrifice  to  him. 

Captain  AVilkes  with  great  patience  explained  to  him 
how  he  should  act  in  such  cases.  To  this  parley  the 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast,  i6j 


chief  paid  very  little  attention,  but  wanted  to  rub  noses 
with  the  commodore  and  be  friends.  The  commodore, 
finding  the  chief  deaf  to  all  reason  and  all  demands, 
piped  all  hands  to  quarters.  Then  it  was,  Boarders, 
away  ! ” and  two  hundred  jolly  tars  armed  with  cutlasses, 
bowie-knives,  and  pistols,  were  soon  running  up  a hill, 
inland  from  the  beach  about  a half  a mile,  through  a 
beautiful  grove  of  palms,  to  a town  of  about  sixty  houses. 
As  we  advanced  towards  the  town  the  natives  retreated 
into  a grove  of  banana  bushes  a few  hundred  yards  in 
the  rear.  Occasionally  they  would  run  out  from  their 
hiding-places  among  the  bushes  and  jungles,  and  bran- 
dish their  war-clubs  at  us  in  a defiant  manner.  Finding 
their  women  and  children  had  fled,  we  set  fire  to  the 
village,  and  it  was  soon  laid  in  ashes. 

The  natives  fired  a few  random  shots  at  us  from  the 
bushes,  but  their  powder  was  poor,  and  no  damage  was 
done  ; but  when  they  showed  their  dusky  forms  they 
felt  the  deadly  power  of  our  carbine  rifles.  Many  sky- 
rockets were  also  thrown  into  the  bushes  among  them, 
which  nearly  frightened  them  to  death.  We  could  see 
them  leap  up  into  the  air,  and  hear  them  yell  out,  Cur- 
lew, cuiiew,  cuf'lewf  meaning  spirits,  spirits,  spirits.” 

After  seeing  the  town  of  Sualib  reduced  to  ashes, 
we  followed  our  file  leader  and  returned  to  our  boats. 
On  our  way  we  burned  the  town  of  Tye,  containing  about 
a hundred  dwelling-houses,  and  many  yam  houses  built 
of  bamboo.  We  also  came  across  our  cutter,  covered 
with  many  leaves  and  bushes. 

All  hands  returned  to  the  beach  without  receiving 
even  a scratch.  We  felt  very  jolly  because  we  had,  as 


1 68  Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 

we  thought,  taught  the  savages  a lesson  which  they  would 
not  be  likely  soon  to  forget.  Arriving  on  board  the 
schooner  we  spliced  the  mainbrace  ” and  partook  of  a 
lunch  strongly  resembling  gun- flints  and  mahogany. 
Our  ship’s  bread  was  extraordinarily  hard,  and  in  small 
pieces  about  the  size  of  a flint,  and  our  salt  junk  was  as 
hard  and  dry  as  a piece  of  old  mahogany.  Jack  before 
the  mast  can,  at  a glance,  determine  to  a certainty  whether 
the  so-called  ^^beef”  set  before  him  is  really  bovine  or 
horse  flesh.  Old  Jack  Weaver,  after  taking  an  observa- 
tion of  the  sun  with  the  thigh-bone  of  a horse,  soliloquized 
as  follows  : 

“ Old  horse,  old  horse,  what  brought  you  here. 

From  Saccarappa  to  Portland  pier. 

Where  you’ve  carted  stones  for  many  a year? 

They  treated  you  with  much  abuse. 

Then  salted  you  down  for  sailors’  use. 

They  curse  your  eyes  when  they’ve  picked  your  bones; 

Then  give  you  a toss  to  Davy  Jones.” 

We  returned  to  Mbua  Bay,  arriving  at  midnight. 
The  next  morning  the  chief  came  on  board  our  ship  and 
demanded  the  two  chiefs  whom  we  had  captured  at  Sour 
Laib,  saying  that  they  were  their  prisoners,  and  that  they 
wanted  to  roast  and  eat  them  as  a sacrifice  to  the  gods. 
The  request  was  not  granted.  A few  days  afterward  the 
commodore  learned  that  they  belonged  to  another  town, 
and  that  they  swam  olf  to  assist  us.  We  gave  them  some 
presents  and  sent  them  home.  In  the  afternoon  we  got 
under  way  and  proceeded  farther  up  the  bay,  coming  to 
anchor  in  twenty- eight  fathoms  of  water  off  Waimea,  or 
the  boiling  springs. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


i6g 


July  4.  The  commodore  allowed  us  to  celebrate  the 
Glorious  Fourth  by  visiting  the  springs.  There  were 
quite  a number  of  them,  eleven  on  the  beach  above  high- 
water  mark,  some  below,  and  some  on  the  hillside,  from 
which  flowed  a streamlet,  three  feet  wide,  of  delicious 
cold  water.  This  streamlet  flowed  in  such  close  prox- 
imity to  the  springs  that  a person  could  place  one  hand 
in  the  cold  water  and  the  other  in  the  hot  at  the  same 
time. 

The  latter  experiment  one  would  scarcely  care  to  try, 
as  the  water  was  so  hot  that  the  yams  and  taro  which 
we  boiled  in  one  of  them  were  cooked  through  in  twenty 
minutes ; and  the  natives  do  all  their  cooking  in  them. 
They  vary  somewhat  in  size,  but  are  about  three  feet  in 
diameter.  The  largest  was  held  sacred  by  the  natives, 
and  was  used  only  for  cooking  human  flesh.  In  the 
neighborhood  we  saw  piles  of  the  bleached  bones  of 
their  victims. 

The  coral  beach  was  so  hot  that  we  could  not  walk  on 
it  with  our  bare  feet.  While  we  were  at  the  springs 
many  people  came  to  do  their  cooking.  They  were  all 
young  people.  On  inquiring  for  their  old  people  we 
were  told  that  they  were  all  buried.  These  natives  ap- 
peared very  friendly,  though  the  young  men  were  wild 
and  savage-looking  fellows.  The  women  were  much 
more  prepossessing  in  appearance  than  those  at  the  other 
islands. 

While  here  we  mastered  much  of  their  language  and 
had  many  social  chats  with  them.  They  favored  us  with 
the  K.  K.  U.  dance,  which  was  very  pleasing. 

After  the  dance  was  over  they  chanted  the  following, 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


lyo 


their  manner  reminding  us  of  Jews  chanting  in  their 
synagogues : 

“ Antiko  maina  tambu  tang-ane 
To-ahula  katan  gita  kare  andratha 
Ha-ti-ke  kaung-ai  tang-i  kow-m  lau  tu  na 
Se-ni-kun-dra-vi  sa-lu  ni  vu-thu  ma  ke  va  ke.” 


The  chief  of  this  bay  had  twenty  wives.  He  lived  at 

the  foot  of  a hill,  in  a house  surrounded  by  those  of  his 

\ 

wives,  each  of  whom  had  a separate  house.  He  spent 
the  most  of  his  time  lounging  in  these,  one  after  another. 
Mrs.  Tandi  Muthuata,  the  head  wife,  was  over  six  feet  in 
height  and  very  stout.  She  fully  understood  her  posi- 
sion,  and  kept  all  the  others  in  subjection,  ruling  them 
as  with  a rod  of  iron.  His  seventeenth  wife  was  called 
Henrietta.  She  was  a young  Tahitian  with  whom  the 
chief  had  become  smitten.  In  order  to  secure  her  he 
had  killed  and  eaten  her  husband,  and  then  compelled 
her  to  become  one  of  his  wives.  She  was  of  fair  com- 
plexion, and  very  good  looking.  Her  hair  was  naturally 
black  and  straight,  but,  by  twitching,  twisting,  frizzing, 
and  coloring,  it  had  become  very  bushy. 

Having  finished  our  surveys  here  we  weighed  anchor 
and  stood  for  Waialaithake,  or  Waia  Island,  Bay  of  Waia- 
lailai,  or  Porpoise  Bay.  This  island  was  the  most  hilly, 
broken,  and  romantic  of  any  in  the  group.  On  landing 
we  saw  no  natives,  and  thought  the  island  uninhabited, 
but  while  ascending  a hill  we  fell  in  with  several  who 
were,  skulking  in  the  groves,  and  keeping  close  upon  us. 
The  constant  fear  of  being  surprised  by  these  savages 
was  very  far  from  pleasant.  The  more  knowledge  we 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast.  lyi 


obtained  of  them,  the  less  disposed  were  we  to  trust 
them. 

As  soon  as  we  had  reached  the  top  of  the  hill,  we 
fired  off  several  sky-rockets  and  discharged  our  muskets, 
the  reports  of  which  seemed  to  frighten  the  natives.  It 
was  amusing  to  see  them  jump  from  their  hiding-places 
in  the  groves  and  call  on  their  gods,  Ctcrlew,  curlew^ 
curlew  T 

The  observations  taken  while  up  here  proved  quite 
satisfactory.  The  height  from  the  level  of  the  ocean 
was  fifteen  hundred  feet,  and  the  view  of  the  ocean  and 
the  numerous  islands  and  reefs,  with  the  sea  dashing 
over  them,  was  truly  grand. 

The  Waia-no  were  independent  of  all  authority  except 
that  of  their  own  chiefs.  All  endeavors  to  subjugate 
them  proved  unavailing ; and  they  kept  themselves 
close  in  their  own  fastnesses,  shunning  all  communica- 
tion with  all  other  natives,  except  making  occasional 
incursions,  with  a strong  force,  on  the  defenseless  towns 
of  some  other  islands.  Owing  to  their  cruel  conduct 
and  treachery,  they  were  called  by  their  cannibal  neigh- 
bors savages  ! 

Nearly  all  the  chiefs  kept  a turtle  pen.  When  they 
had  a chance  to  dispose  of  the  shell,  they  removed  it 
from  the  living  turtle  by  holding  a burning  brand  close 
to  the  outer  shell  until  the  edge  curled  up ; then  a 
wooden  wedge  was  inserted,  by  which  the  whole  head 
of  shell  was  removed  from  the  back  of  the  living  turtle. 
This  was,  in  every  sense  of  the  word,  cruelty  to  turtles. 
Each  turtle  is  covered  with  thirteen  pieces,  which  to- 
gether are  termed  a head.  Tortoise-shell  was  the  chief 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


iy2 


article  of  trade  in  these  islands,  and  its  export  was  the 
principal  business  of  the  whites  who  lived  on  this  group, 
and  endeavored  to  monopolize  the  trade. 

The  traders  in  tortoise-shell  came  here  in  small  ves- 
sels, and  at  great  risk,  as  the  natives  resorted  to  every 
expedient  to  capture  them.  The  crews  were  compelled 
to  be  on  the  lookout  night  and  day.  Sometimes,  when 
the  winds  blew  fresh  towards  the  shore,  the  natives  would 
swim  off  by  the  hundreds,  dive  down  and  endeavor  to 
lift  her  anchor,  part  or  cut  her  cable,  or  tie  a rope  to  it, 
by  which  means  the  vessel  would  be  dragged  to  the 
shore,  when  she  was  considered  and  treated  as  a prize 
sent  by  their  gods.  Another  way  was  to  board  her  by 
climbing  up  over  her  side.  Unless  the  crew  were  sur- 
prised, an  attack  was  often  repelled  by  the  use  of  the 
vessel’s  boarding-pikes  and  cutlasses. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


On  the  2 2d  of  July,  while  our  first  cutter,  Lieutenant 
Alden  and  Midshipman  Henry,  and  the  Leopard,  Lieu- 
tenant Underwood,  were  surveying  the  island  of  Malolo, 
they  ran  short  of  provisions.  Lieutenant  LTnderwood 
and  Midshipman  Henry,  with  several  of  the  boat’s  crew, 
landed  upon  this  island  and  attempted  to  purchase  food 
from  the  natives.  While  engaged  in  trading,  the  hostage 
in  the  cutter  under  Lieutenant  Alden,  jumped  overboard 
and  swam  for  the  shore.  Lieutenant  Alden  immediately 
leveled  his  rifle  and  shot  at  him,  but  he  dodged  the  ball. 
The  natives,  seeing  that  the  hostage  had  escaped,  raised 
the  war-cry,  and  then  a bloody  work  commenced.  Our 
officers  and  crew  retreated  to  the  water  backwards,  at 
the  same  time  firing  and  warding  off  with  their  bowie- 
knife  pistols  the  arrows  and  spears  which  were  flying 
thick  about  their  heads.  Our  little  band  fought  bravely, 
and  many  of  those  savages  were  made  to  kiss  the  coral 
reefs.  Midshipman  Henry  was  knocked  down  by  a blow 
from  a club  on  the  back  of  the  head.  He  quickly  arose, 
however,  and  seizing  his  assailant,  plunged  his  bowie- 
knife  deep  into  the  savage’s  breast.  The  two  then  fell 
together,  never  to  rise  again. 

Lieutenant  Underwood,  struck  on  the  side  of  his  head 


^74 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


by  a club  in  the  hand  of  a gigantic  savage,  fell  face 
downward  into  the  water.  This  seemed  to  revive  him, 
for  he  regained  his  footing  and  dealt  the  savage  a terrible 
blow  on  his  head  with  his  bowie-knife  pistol,  which  split 
his  head  nearly  in  two.  He  then  turned  towards  the 
boats,  when  he  was  struck  on  the  back  of  his  head  with 
a ula,  or  handy  billy,  which  was  thrown  with  tremendous 
force  by  a native  a short  distance  off,  and  fell  senseless 
into  the  water. 

In  the  meantime  Lieutenant  Emmons  in  the  Grey- 
hound had  joined  Lieutenant  Alden  in  the  cutter,  and 
then  made  for  the  shore  to  recover  the  bodies  of  their 
brother  officers.  They  found  them  stripped  of  their 
clothing.  Lieutenant  Underwood  was  just  alive,  and  as 
they  lifted  him  he  faintly  breathed  the  words,  Tell  — her 
— that  — .”  These  were  his  last.  He  had  been  married 
but  a few  weeks  before  we  sailed  from  Norfolk.  Beside 
him  lay  Joseph  G.  Cl  irk,  and  not  far  from  him  Jerome 
Davis  and  Robert  Furman.  Close  by  the  body  of  Henry 
were  William  Leicester  and  John  Sac.  They  were  all 
stunned.  Clark’s  upper  lip  was  partly  torn  away,  and 
was  hanging  down  to  his  chin.  The  natives  were  kept 
at  a distance  by  the  Greyhound^ s crew,  while  others  were 
bearing  the  bodies  of  their  shipmates  to  the  cutter.  We 
soon  got  under  way  and  pulled  for  the  ship.  Arriving 
on  board,  every  attention  that  affection  could  suggest 
was  paid  to  the  wounded.  Clark’s  lip  was  a horrible 
sight.  It  was  sewed  up  by  our . surgeon.  Dr.  Gilchrist. 
None  of  the  others  were  wounded,  but  were  quite 
severely  stunned. 

The  next  morning  the  Flying  Fish,  on  board  of  which 


MASSACRE  OF  LIEUTENANT  UNDERWOOD  AND  MIDSHIPMAN  WILKES  HENRY. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


n5 


the  bodies  of  the  slain  had  been  transferred,  got  under 
way  and  proceeded  towards  the  island  chosen  for  the 
place  of  burial. 

The  sun  never  rose  more  clearly,  and  nothing  could 
have  looked  more  beautiful  and  peaceful  than  did  the 
little  group  of  islands  as  we  passed  them  in  succession 
on  our  melancholy  errand.  Arriving  at  the  last  one, 
which  was  about  ten  miles  from  Malolo  and  uninhabited, 
we  came  to  anchor.  Two  of  the  officers  and  three  of 
the  crew  went  on  shore  to  select  a place  and  dig  a grave 
for  both  the  victims.  At  one  bell  all  hands  were  called 
to  bury  the  dead.  The  two  bodies  were  placed  in  the 
commodore’s  gig,  side  by  side,  wrapped  in  their  coun- 
try’s flag,  and  rowed  to  the  lonely  little  island,  followed 
by  other  boats  with  the  commodore,  several  of  the 
officers,  and  twenty  of  the  sailors  (all  dressed  in  white) , 
who  landed  to  pay  this  last  tribute  of  respect  to  those 
who  had  gone  through  so  many  hardships  and  shared  so 
many  dangers  with  them. 

The  quiet  of  the  scene,  the  solemnity  of  the  occasion, 
and  the  smallness  of  the  numbers  were  calculated  to 
produce  a deep  impression.  The  bodies  were  borne  to 
the  grave,  which  was  in  the  center  of  the  little  island, 
amid  a small  grove  of  ficus  trees.  It  was  a lovely  spot 
that  had  been  chosen.  The  grave  was  dug  wide  and 
deep,  in  the  pure  white  coral  sand.  The  funeral  services 
were  conducted  so  calmly,  and  yet  with  such  feeling, 
that  none  who  were  present  will  ever  forget  that  sad  hilf- 
hour.  After  the  bodies  had  been  lowered,  and  the  grave 
filled,  three  volleys  were  fired  over  it. 

This  pretty  cluster  of  islands  was  named  Underwood’s 


iy6  Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


Group,  the  little  island,  Henry’s  Island.  We  wandered 
about  the  beach  a short  time,  then  reshipped  and 
returned  to  Malolo.  Preparations  were  at  once  made 
to  punish  the  actors  in  this  foul  deed.  The  rest  of  the 
day  and  during  the  night,  the  ship’s  small  arms  were  pre- 
pared, and  parties  duly  organized  for  the  fight.  Several 
boats,  well  manned  and  armed,  were  stationed  around 
the  island,  so  that  none  of  the  natives  could  escape.  At 
nine  o’clock  we  landed  well  armed,  and  provided  with 
port-fires  and  rockets  (fiery  spirits),  which  we  had  found 
so  efficient  on  a former  occasion.  Orders  were  given  to 
spare  all  women  and  children. 

The  first  town  we  arrived  at  was  entirely  deserted. 
The  natives  had  even  taken  all  their  household  goods 
with  them.  We  reduced  it  quickly  to  ashes,  destroyed 
their  yam  and  taro  patches,  and  made  the  next  town. 
When  the  natives  first  got  sight  of  us,  they  sent  up  a 
shout  of  defiance.  They  exhibited  no  signs  of  fear,  but 
rather  defied  us.  While  awaiting  the  arrival  of  Captain 
Ringold’s  and  Lieutenant  Johnson’s  parties,  we  de- 
scended the  hill,  and  advanced  towards  the  ditch  of  the 
town.  The  natives  boldly  came  to  meet  us,  with  a dis- 
charge of  arrows,  and  exhibited  the  utmost  confidence. 
They  in  truth  believed  their  town  to  be  impregnable, 
for  it  had  hitherto  withstood  every  attack  made  by  the 
Fiji  warriors.  Its  defenses  showed  no  little  engineer- 
ing skill.  A ditch  twelve  feet  wide,  and  full  of  mud  and 
water,  surrounded  the  whole.  Next  came  a stong  pal- 
isade, builf  of  cocoanut  trunks,  placed  four  or  five  feet 
apart,  among  which  was  here  and  there  a living  tree. 
This  palisade  also  included  a fence  of  wicker-work,  about 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


177 


ten  feet  high,  so  strong  and  dense  as  to  defy  all  attempts 
to  penetrate  or  even  see  through  it.  Inside  of  this  was 
a second  ditch.  In  this  ditch  the  natives  sought  shelter 
and  defended  themselves,  only  exposing  their  heads 
when  they  rose  to  shoot  through  the  loop-holes  left  in 
the  palisade. 

As  soon  as  we  neared  the  fortification,  we  spread  out 
so  as  to  outflank  the  skirmishers,  and  by  a few  rockets 
and  a shower  of  balls  showed  them  that  they  had 
different  enemies  from  Fiji  men  to  deal  with.  This 
compelled  them  to  abandon  all  the  outer  works  to 
destruction,  and  to  retire  within,  where  they  all  united 
in  giving  a loud  shout  of  Lako -maty  ‘‘Come  on,”  at 
the  same  time  flourishing  their  war-clubs  and  spears. 

Having  arrived  within  about  seventy  feet,  we  fired  on 
the  fortification.  Now  was  seen  what  many  of  those 
present  had  not  before  believed ; the  expertness  with 
which  these  savages  dodge  a ball  at  the  flash  of  a gun. 
Those  who  were  the  most  incredulous  before,  were  now 
satisfied  that  they  could  do  this  effectually.  A stubborn 
resistance  was  kept  up  with  musketry,  arrows,  and  war- 
clubs,  which  lasted  about  twenty  minutes.  In  this  the 
women  and  children  were  as  actively  engaged  as  the 
men.  They  believed  that  it  required  a larger  load  to 
kill  a large  man  than  it  did  to  kill  a small  man.  The 
bows  and  arrows  were  for  the  most  part  used  by  the 
women. 

The  defense  soon  slackened,  and  many  natives  could 
be  seen  escaping  from  the  rear  with  their  dead  and 
wounded  on  their  backs.  A rocket,  of  which  several 
had  already  been  tried  without  any  visible  effect,  now 


775 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


struck  one  of  the  thatched  roofs.  Several  natives  sprang 
up  to  tear  it  off,  but  that  moment  was  their  last,  as  the 
roof  immediately  burst  into  flames.  As  soon  as  the 
flames  were  found  to  be  spreading,  a scene  of  confusion 
ensued  that  baffles  description.  The  deafening  shouts 
of  Curlew,  curlew,  curlew, ''  by  the  savages,  with  the 
cries  and  shrieks  of  the  women  and  children,  the  roaring 
of  the  fire,  the  bursting  of  the  bamboos,  and  an  occa- 
sional volley  from  our  rifles,  will  always  be  impressed  on 
our  memories.  In  about  half  an  hour  this  whole  town 
or  stronghold  of  theirs  was  reduced  to  ashes.  It  was 
evident  that  large  quantities  of  water,  provisions,  pigs, 
etc.,  had  been  stored  up  in  the  anticipation  of  a long 
siege.  In  the  ditch  we  picked  up  a number  of  war-clubs, 
spears,  bows  and  arrows,  several  old  muskets,  fish-nets, 
tapa,  etc.,  and  the  cap  of  Lieutenant  Underwood.  Many 
of  the  dead  were  lying  in  the  ditch. 

Our  party  sustained  but  little  injury.  Only  one  man 
was  struck  by  a ball,  which  did  no  other  harm  than  to 
leave  a scar  on  his  right  arm.  Several  were  wounded  by 
arrows,  but  only  one,  Samuel  Stretch,  dangerously.  In 
crossing  the  island  to  another  town,  we  found  the  scenery 
extremely  beautiful.  In  the  valleys  below  us  and  on  the 
declivities  of  the  hills  were  to  be  seen  yam  and  taro 
patches  kept  in  the  neatest  order,  with  the  small  yam 
houses,  or  lololo,  in  the  midst,  surrounded  by  groves  of 
tall  cocoanut  trees  and  plantations  of  bananas.  All 
looked  quiet  and  peaceful,  in  strong  contrast  to  the  ex- 
citing contest  in  which  we  had  been  engaged,  and  the 
character  of  the  ruthless  and  murderous  race  who  had 
been  the  occupants  of  the  smiling  valley. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


179 


Soon  after  descending  the  hill  we  came  upon  another 
stronghold.  We  soon  set  fire  to  this  town  by  throwing 
in  rockets.  It  became  too  hot  for  the  savages,  and  as 
they  attempted  to  escape  in  fives  and  tens,  they  were 
riddled  .with  bullets.  Here  we  were  re-inforced  by 
Lieutenant  Murray’s  and  Lieutenant  Emerson’s  forces, 
who  had  destroyed  several  towns.  The  natives  made 
a stubborn  resistance  and  even  stood  a charge  of  bayo- 
nets. 

While  these  transactions  were  taking  place  on  the 
island,  the  water  also  became  the  scene  of  many  con- 
flicts. Every  canoe  that  attempted  to  escape  from  the 
island  was  overtaken  by  our  boats,  destroyed,  and  its 
occupants  became  food  for  hungry  sharks. 

We  destroyed  all  the  towns,  and  by  five  o’clock  all 
hands  had  returned  on  board  ship.  The  boats  on  guard 
around  the  island  were  relieved  every  four  hours.  The 
night  passed  as  quietly  as  in  a country  churchyard,  save 
for  the  singing  of  some  tropical  bird,  or  the  splashing  of 
the  water,  occasioned  by  some  monster  of  the  deep. 

Early  the  next  morning  several  natives  were  seen  on 
the  beach,  waving  pieces  cf  white  tapa^  the  emblem  of 
peace  with  them.  The  commodore,  with  the  interpreter 
in  his  gig,  pulled  for  the  shore.  As  they  neared  the 
edge  of  the  reef,  which  was  bare  now,  it  being  low  water, 
all  the  men  retired,  leaving  a young  native  woman  stand- 
ing with  the  different  articles  of  Lieutenant  Underwood 
and  Midshipman  Henry  near  her.  She  held  a white 
Cockerell  in  her  arms,  which  she  wanted  the  commodore 
to  accept.  He  declined  to  do  so,  but  took  the  articles 
of  clothing.  The  commodore  knew  it  to  be  the  custom 


i8o 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


of  the  natives,  when  defeated  and  at  the  mercy  of  their 
enemies,  to  beg  pardon  and  sue  for  mercy  before  the 
whole  of  the  attacking  party,  in  order  that  all  might  be 
witnesses ; and  he  also  knew  that  they  never  acknowl- 
edged themselves  conquered  unless  this  was  done. 

Many  messages  were  delivered  to  the  commodore  by 
this  young  woman  from  the  chiefs,  saying  that  they  were 
sorry  for  clubbing  and  killing  our  little  chiefs.  This, 
however,  amounted  to  nothing.  The  commodore  sent 
word  to  the  chiefs  and  people  that  they  must  come  and 
beg  pardon  and  sue  for  mercy  before  all  our  warriors, 
on  a hill  that  he  pointed  out,  on  the  south  end  of  the 
island,  saying  that  he  should  land  there  in  a little  while 
and  receive  them.  In  a few  hours  our  whole  force  went 
ashore  and  took  our  station  on  the  hill. 

The  day  was  perfectly  serene,  but  the  island,  which  a 
few  days  before  had  been  one  of  the  loveliest  spots  on 
earth,  was  now  entirely  desolate,  showing  the  place  of 
the  massacre,  ruined  towns,  and  devastated  plantations. 

The  eye  wandered  over  the  dreary  waste,  to  the  beau- 
tiful expanse  of  waters  beyond  and  around,  with  the  long 
lines  of  white,  sparkling  reefs,  until  it  rested,  far  in  the 
distance,  on  the  small  green  island  where  we  had  per- 
formed the  last  rites  to  our  murdered  shipmates.  A 
gentle  breeze  stirred  the  lofty  palm  trees  and  produced 
a moaning  sound  as  in  the  forests  of  our  own  country. 
A feeling  of  depression,  inseparable  from  the  occasion, 
rested  upon  us  and  brought  vividly  to  our  thoughts  the 
grief  which  these  melancholy  deaths  would  bring  upon 
those  who  were  far  away. 

After  watching  several  hours  with  much  patience,  we 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


i8i 


heard  the  sound  of  distant  wailings,  which  gradually 
drew  nearer.  Presently  the  natives  could  be  seen  com- 
ing over  the  hills  towards  us,  making  a scene  which  will 
be  long  remembered.  They  at  length  reached  the  foot 
of  the  hill,  when  about  forty  of  them  advanced,  crouch- 
ing on  their  hands  and  knees,  pausing  occasionally  to 
utter  piteous  moans  and  wails. 

When  within  about  thirty  feet  of  us,  they  stopped,  and 
an  old  chief,  their  leader,  in  the  most  piteous  manner 
begged  pardon,  supplicating  forgiveness  and  pledging 
that  they  would  never  do  the  like  again  to  a papalangi^ 
or  white  man.  He  said  that  they  acknowledged  them- 
selves conquered,  and  that  the  island  belonged  to  our  big 
chief  (the  commodore),  and  that  they  were  his  slaves 
and  would  do  whatever  he  desired.  He  said  that  their 
head  chiefs  and  most  of  their  wives  had  been  killed. 

He  offered  several  of  the  slain  chiefs’  daughters,  as  a 
present  to  the  commodore. 

During  the  whole  time  that  the  old  chief  was  speak- 
ing the  other  natives  remained  bowed,  with  their  faces 
to  the  ground. 

A few  words  of  advice  were  given  them  by  the  com- 
modore, and  they  were  then  dismissed.  They  were  not 
long  in  leaving ; the  chiefs’  daughters  with  them.  The 
young  women  were  all  very  pretty. 

Orders  were  now  given  to  man  the  boats,  and  we 
reached  the  vessels  at  sundown. 

Midshipman  Wilkes  Henry  was  the  only  son  of  his 
mother,  and  she  a widow,  the  sister  of  Commodore 
Wilkes.  His  death  was  a deep  affliction  to  his  mother, 
who  could  be  sustained  under  it  only  by  Divine  grace. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


182 


I'he  following  lines  were  written  by  Joseph  G.  Clark, 
one  of  the  crew,  who  fought  so  bravely  and  had  his 
upper  lip  nearly  cut  off  in  the  fight : 

Wilkes  Henry. 

He  went  to  his  home,  where  his  kind  mother  dwelt, 

To  tell  her  the  squadron  was  ready  to  sail. 

And  merry  the  heart  of  the  young  sailor  felt. 

For  bright  was  the  morning  and  fair  was  the  gale. 

In  vain  were  his  efforts  her  tears  to  restrain. 

By  reciting  the  hopes  that  inspired  him  with  joy, 

For  she  secretly  felt, — oh,  how  keen  was  the  pain  ! — 

That  this  was  the  last  she  would  see  of  her  boy. 

The  hand  of  his  mother  he  grasped  in  his  own. 

And  bade  her  farewell  as  he  rose  to  depart; 

She  could  breathe  no  response,  for  to  her  ’twas  the  tone 
Of  the  death-knell  of  all  that  was  dear  to  her  heart. 

He  hastened  on  board  and  the  anchors  were  ‘‘home,” 

The  wide  canvas  spread,  his  ship  started  from  shore; 

But  ah  ! who  can  tell  of  the  evil  to  come, — 

He  had  left  her  indeed,  to  behold  her  no  more  ! 

To  the  Isle  of  Malolo,  the  lonely  abode 

Of  a cannibal  king  and  his  murderous  train. 

The  youth  in  the  path  of  his  duty  trod. 

Was  attacked  by  the  natives  and  treacherously  slain, 

I saw  from  his  eye  flash  the  heroic  fire 

Of  a brave  and  true  heart  that  was  born  to  command; 

He  could  not  advance,  and  he  would  not  retire. 

But  he  stood,  fought  and  fell  with  his  knife  in  his  hand. 

To  a desolate  island  his  body  we  bore, 

And  laid  his  remains  with  his  comrade  to  rest. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


183 


That  island  ne’er  held  such  a treasure  before, 

As  the  jewels  we  buried  so  deep  in  its  breast. 

Dear  youth ! he  has  gone  to  his  rest  with  the  brave, 

To  the  source  whence  true  glory,  true  happiness  springs; 
The  tears  of  his  countrymen  sprinkled  his  grave. 

And  the  blue,  rolling  ocean  his  requiem  sings. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


After  surveying  several  small  islands  and  reefs  we 
arrived  at  Muthewater.  The  next  day  King  Tuembooa 
came  on  board  with  many  hogs  and  yams  as  a present 
to  ‘Hhe  big  white  chief/’  the  commodore.  They  were 
accepted. 

August  lo.  Sunday  morning  at  four  bells  all  hands 
were  called  to  Divine  service.  The  flags  of  the  squadron 
were  at  half-mast,  and  a deathlike  silence  pervaded  the 
ship.  All  hands,  officers  and  men,  listened  to  the  sol- 
emn discourse  of  our  chaplain,  from  the  texts,  Boast 
not  thyself  of  to-morrow,  for  thou  knowest  not  what  a 
day  may  bring  forth  ; ” and  It  is  even  as  a vapor,  that 
appeareth  for  a little  time,  and  then  vanisheth  away.” 

In  the » afternoon  signal  was  made  to  get  under  way 
and  proceed  to  Mali,  an  island  about  thirty  miles  north. 
Here  we  found  all  towns  deserted,  and  all  canoes  hauled 
up  and  hid  away  among  the  bushes.  These  natives  were 
getting  very  shy  of  us  since  the  news  of  the  destruction  of 
Sualib  and  Malolo  had  spread  among  them. 

After  having  completed  our  surveys  here  we  weighed 
anchor  and  revisited  Ovolau.  We  found  the  place  nearly 
deserted.  Our  garden  that  we  had  planted  on  Observ- 
atory Hill  was  looking  finely,  but  many  of  the  vegetables 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast.  i8^ 

had  gone  to  seed,  and  it  needed  weeding.  A white  man 
by  the  name  of  George  said  he  would  attend  to  it. 

The  chief  of  this  district,  Tui  Levuka,  was  overjoyed 
to  see  us  back  again.  One  afternoon  when  our  observ- 
atory was  established  here,  Tui  Levuka  and  King  Tanoa 
were  shown  the  instruments.  Looking  at  the  great  pend- 
ulum swinging  to  the  right  and  left,  they  both  tried  to 
keep  time  with  it  by  swaying  their  bodies  the  same  way 
at  the  same  time,  and  singing  out,  ‘^Ttn  i tukic^  tui  i tuku^ 
tui  i tukuf  meaning  Here  she  goes  and  there  she  goes, 
here  she  goes  and  there  she  goes.”  After  repeated 
efforts  to  keep  pace  with  the  pendulum  their  patience 
became  exhausted,  and  they  gave  it  up. 

They  were  also  shown  the  transit,  the  dipping-needle, 
and  horizontal  horizon.  A small  quantity  of  quicksilver 
was  poured  into  the  hand  of  one  of  them.  They  tried 
to  pick  it  up  with  their  fingers ; but,  finding  they  could 
not  do  so,  and  that  it  did  not  even  wet  their  fingers,  they 
would  look  at  each  other,  grinning  and  laughing  most 
heartily.  But  when  they  were  permitted  to  look  through 
our  large  telescope  and  take  a view  of  the  planet  Saturn, 
with  her  two  rings  and  seven  moons,  they  were  com- 
pletely nonplussed. 

After  this  a large  globe  was  shown  them,  and  our  own 
and  other  countries  pointed  out,  and  finally  their  own 
little,  insignificant  islands  ; but  we  could  not  make  them 
understand.  They  had  not  the  slightest  conception  of 
the  magnitude  of  the  earth,  having  no  knowledge  of  any 
lands  excepting  their  own  islands,  the  Tongas,  and  a few 
others. 

It  was  a common  belief  among  the  natives  upon  the 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


islands  of  the  Pacific  that  the  little  papalangis  (white 
people)  were  little  spirits,  and  that  their  homes  were  in 
the  skies ; that  they  were  subject  to  one  great  spirit, 
and  that  the  ships  ascended  to  and  descended  from  the 
skies  when  out  of  sight  of  their  islands. 

One  afternoon  I was  ordered  into  the  dinky,  a small 
shell  of  a boat,  with  lead  line  and  compass.  I was  to 
pull  to  a point  about  a mile  ahead  of  the  ship,  run  off 
thirty  fathoms  with  the  lead  line  in  a nor’easterly  direc- 
tion from  a large  tree  at  the  back  of  a small  hill,  stick 
the  boat-hook  into  the  ground,  fasten  a cornet,  or  signal, 
to  the  upper  end,  and  return  in  an  hour. 

Obeying  orders,  I doubled  the  point  and  took  a short 
cruise  up  the  beach,  out  of  sight  of  the  ships.  While 
strolling  along  I suddenly  fell  in  with  Tanoa,  the  king 
of  the  island,  and  a part  of  his  crew.  His  large  war- 
canoe  was  at  the  edge  of  the  reef.  He  came  toward  me, 
took  my  right  hand  and  rubbed  it  across  his  nose  — this 
being  his  mode  of  salutation.  Then  he  rolled  up  the 
sleeve  of  my  frock  to  the  shoulder ; took  hold  of  me  by 
the  wrist  and  shoulder,  opened  his  big  mouth,  grated  his 
beautiful  white  teeth,  smacked  his  lips,  and  said,  ‘‘Mite 
kiiaiy  What  a sweet  morsel.”  Then,  in  a few  minutes, 
he  commenced  to  spit  terribly,  pressed  his  hands  on  his 
stomach,  as  though  he  felt  sick,  and  then  made  up  an 
awful  face  and  cried  out,  Oui  mitif  ‘^No  good,  bad.” 
He  then  in  very  broken  English,  with  many  signs  and 
gestures,  and  in  a joking  kind  of  way  — though  I think 
he  meant  it  — pointed  to  the  mountains,  the  horizon,  and 
the  sky,  signifying  that  I should  go  to  the  mountains  and 
remain  there  until  the  ships  had  returned  home,  when 


% yr 


Twenty 

he  would  send  for 
trict,  and  give  me  ti 

I did  not  feel  tha 
and  become  his  son 
sion  and  returned  to 
very  common  among 
of  their  national  charai 
discerning  what  would 

to  conciliate  and  readily 
this  was  the  case  with  these 
doubt. 

King  Tanoa’s  canoe  was  a very  i 
single  canoe,  over  a hundred  feet 
out-rigger.  About  midship  was 
the  place  of  honor,  the  king’s  quarter-c 
numbering  about  sixty,  were  nearly  all  Tongal 


FIJI  DRUMMER. 


e Mast. 


asand  very  beautiful 
anoe  was  launched, 
that  she  might  be 
ed  to  take  great  pride 
iler  canoes  and  drown- 
i that  King  Tanoa  was 
lived.  He  was,  in  every 
he  Cannibal  Islands.” 

. of  these  Fijians  were  in  the 


Fishj  or  Kai  Nite,  Midshipman 
hbused  one  of  the  crew,  William 
^lect  of  duty.  He  first  denounced 
^ousive  and  aggravating  terms,  and  then 
several  severe  blows  with  a rope’s-end. 
jre  than  Jack  before  the  mast  could  stand, 
mg  at  him,  seized  him  in  his  arms,  and  jumped 
i.d.  Smith  was  unarmed,  and  was  drowned ; 
r was  armed  with  a dirk,  and  escaped  by  swim- 
to  the  fore-channels  and  climbing  on  board, 
v^e  found  old  red-headed  Paddy  Connell  in  rather 
health,  but  happy  in  having  had,  during  our  absence, 
an  addition  to  his  family,  another  young  brat  of  a boy.” 
This  was  the  forty-ninth  child,  and  now  his  prayer  was 
that  he  might  live  to  see  the  fiftieth. 

The  old  chief  of  the  town,  Tui  Levuka,  spent  the  most 
of  his  time  at  home  with  his  wives,  muskets,  and  junk- 
bottles.  The  natives  here  seemed  to  have  a sort  of 
mania  for  collections  of  bottles.  A few  weeks  before  we 
arrived,  the  Currency  Lass,  a trading  schooner,  had  vis- 
ited this  port  and  disposed  of  several  hampers  of  bottles. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


i8g 


The  old  chief  had  increased  his  stock,  and  now  had  them 
suspended  from  every  available  place  both  within  and 
without  his  house. 

Fiji  mothers  used  to  anoint  the  bodies  of  their  chil- 
dren all  over,  early  every  morning,  with  rancid  cocoanut 
oil.  This  was  liberally  applied  and  vigorously  rubbed  in 
until  the  skin  fairly  glistened.  This  was  supposed  to 
prevent  the  pickaninnies  from  catching  cold,  and  from 
contracting  various  diseases. 

Many  of  the  natives  wore  necklaces  composed  of  rare 
shells,  and  those  who  could  get  them  wore  several  whale’s 
teeth,  strung  on  a string,  hanging  down  on  their  breasts. 
A whale’s  tooth  was  the  price  of  a human  life  at  these 
islands.  The  men  here  did  not  tattoo,  but  many  of  the 
women  had  the  corners  of  their  mouths  tattooed  in  cir- 
cles of  a blue-black  color. 

Both  men  and  women  spend  a great  deal  of  time  at 
their  toilets.  The  prevailing  style  among  the  men  was 
to  wear  the  hair  around  the  forehead,  not  parted  in  the 
middle,  but  from  ear  to  ear.  The  front  part  was  dyed 
brown  or  red,  and  the  back  part  white  or  yellow.  The 
hair  was  so  thick  that  no  comb  could  possibly  penetrate 
it.  On  measuring  the  head  of  one  of  the  men  we  found 
it  to  be  sixty-two  inches  in  circumference.  The  larger 
and  more  bushy  the  head  the  more  pride  was  taken  in  it, 
and  the  more  it  was  admired  by  the  women.  Their  heads 
were  literally  alive  with  vermin,  and  it  was  a common 
sight  to  see  them  eagerly  searching  one  another’s  heads  for 
the  insects,  and  sharing  the  spoil.  One-third  of  the  ver- 
min secured  belonged  to  the  searcher,  and  no  greater 
insult  could  be  offered  a native  than  to  appropriate  more 


I go  Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 

than  the  allotted  share.  It  was  considered  a crime  to 
search  the  head  of  a child,  as  that  was  considered  to  be 
the  particular  province  of  the  parents. 

The  women  wore  their  hair  in  long  locks,  few  or  many 
in  number  according  to  their  fancy.  These  locks  were  in 
cork-screw  form,  and  were  called  tombi.  The  head  was 
dipped  in  lye  made  from  the  ashes  of  the  leaves  of  the 
bread-fruit  tree.  When  the  head  was  raised  the  lye  ran 
down  in  little  zigzag  rivulets  over  face,  neck,  and  body, 
showing,  when  dry,  in  distinct  lines,  which  were  consid- 
ered very  ornamental,  and  were  called  ulu-lase. 

The  dress  of  the  women  was  very  scanty.  It  consisted 
of  a kind  of  band  about  eight  inches  in  width,  and  bor- 
dered with  a fringe  dyed  in  various  colors.  Some  of 
these  garments  were  quite  pretty.  They  were  made 
from  the  bark  of  the  hibiscus  and  were  very  elastic. 
This  dress  was  called  the  liku,  and  it  was  worn  around 
the  waist.  The  Fiji  dressmaker  used  neither  needles, 
thread,  thimble,  nor  wax,  but  simply  moistened  the  bark, 
tore  it  into  long,  thin  strips,  then  tied  one  end  to  the 
great  toe  of  her  right  foot  and  braided  the  strips  together 
toward  her. 

In  upper  Fiji  society,  in  asking  a woman  in  marriage 
the  consent  of  the  father,  mother,  and  brother  had  to  be 
obtained.  The  refusal  of  the  brother  was  sufficient  to 
prevent  the  marriage.  If  the  suit  was  accepted,  rolls  of 
tapa,  whale’s  teeth,  provisions,  etc.,  were  presented  to 
the  parents.  Marriages  among  the  ^‘blue  blood  ” Fijians 
were  sanctioned  by  religious  ceremonies.  After  parties 
had  become  engaged  they  might  often  be  seen  strolling 
about  arm-in-arm.  Several  times  we  saw  the  bride,  after 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


igi 


the  ceremony  was  over,  go  down  to  the  reef,  into  the 
water,  and  disfigure  her  face  and  body  with  the  sharp 


QUEEN  EMMA,  ONE  OF  TANOA’S  WIVES. 


edge  of  a small  shell,  causing  the  blood  to  flow.  After 
such  a performance  she  looked  as  if  she  had  been  dragged 
through  a thicket  of  brambles. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


I g2 


Among  the  common  people,  marriage  was  a mere  mat- 
ter of  bargain.  The  usual  price  of  a wife  was  a whale’s 
tooth,  an  old  musket,  or  a hatchet  and  some  tobacco. 
A man  could  have  as  many  wives  as  he  could  afford  to 
buy  and  support.  Once  paid  for  he  had  an  entire  right 
to  them  and  might  club,  roast,  and  eat  them  if  he  so 
desired.  Elopements  were  rare,  but  did  sometimes 
occur,  for  there  were  several  runaway  matches  while  we 
were  at  these  islands. 

One  day  the  funeral  of  a chief  occurred.  Before  the 
burial  took  place  the  mother  of  the  deceased  chief 
declared  that  she  was  old  and  had  lived  long  enough, 
and  requested  that  she  might  be  strangled  and  buried, 
in  order  that  she  might  go  to  the  spirit-land  with  her 
son.  One  of  the  wives  of  the  dead  chief  expressed  the 
same  desire  ; so  they  were  both  partially  strangled  by 
their  friends  and  placed  in  the  grave,  one  on  either  side 
of  the  chief,  each  with  the  right  hand  placed  upon  his 
breast.  Several  of  the  mourners  also  cut  off  their  little 
toes  or  the  first  joint  of  their  little  fingers  and  placed 
them  in  the  grave  as  tokens  of  grief.  A few  strips  of 
tapa  and  a mat  were  thrown  over  the  bodies,  then  some 
sticks  were  laid  across,  and  the  grave  filled  with  earth. 
We  could  hear  the  faint  moans  of  the  two  poor  women, 
not  yet  dead,  as  the  clods  fell  and  were  trodden  down 
upon  them. 

The  old  and  infirm,  all  who  suffered  from  lingering 
diseases,  and  even  children,  often  requested  their  nearest 
relatives  to  either  wring  their  heads  off  or  strangle  them. 
An  instance  of  this  kind  happened  while  we  were  lying 
here.  A boy,  while  hunting  on  the  reef  for  deche  de  mer^ 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


193 


had  one  of  his  legs  bitten  off  by  a shark.  His  parents 
at  once  strangled  him,  giving  as  the  reason  that  if  he 
lived  he  would  be  a disgrace  to  the  family  in  consequence 
of  having  but  one  leg. 

The  usual  sign  of  mourning  was  to  have  the  hair  and 
beard  cut  short.  Women  in  mourning  burned  them- 
selves with  hot  irons,  raising  large  blisters,  the  scars  of 
which  might  be  seen  long  afterward  upon  neck,  shoul- 
ders, breast,  and  arms.  It  was  called  loloe  mate. 

The  eating  of  human  flesh  was  not  for  the  love  of  it, 
nor  to  appease  hunger,  but  was  one  of  their  religious 
rites  or  was  due  to  habit  or  revenge.  One  morning  a 
big  canoe  came  alongside  our  ship  with  two  chiefs  and 
nine  roasted  human  bodies.  The  chiefs  were  bound  for 
one  of  the  leeward  islands  to  have  a feast  with  their 
brother,  the  head  chief  of  the  island.  Three  of  the 
victims  were  chiefs,  and  were  tallied  as  such,  their  faces 
being  painted  black.  None  but  chiefs  were  allowed  to 
partake  of  the  flesh  of  a chief.  The  brains  were  equally 
divided  among  the  participants.  They  believed  that  if 
they  ate  the  brains  of  a chief  they  would  inherit  his  war- 
like qualities. 

Our  prisoner,  Vendovi,  the  chief  who  had  been  cap- 
tured by  us  through  the  treachery  of  one  of  his  nephews, 
declared  after  he  had  been  on  board  a few  weeks  that  if 
ever  he  had  a chance  he  would  club,  roast,  and  eat  the 
treacherous  fellow,  dry  and  grind  his  bones,  and  drink 
them  in  his  ava.  Six  months  afterward  the  old  chief 
had  become  so  much  civilized  that  the  irons  were  taken 
off  him.  He  appeared  to  be  a very  thoughtful,  genial, 
and  pleasant  sort  of  a man.  After  he  had  been  with  us 


194 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


eighteen  months,  seeing  and  learning  our  manners  and 
customs  and  listening  to  the  many  long  yarns  spun  to 
him  by  our  signal  quartermaster,  old  Tom  Finer,  a con- 
verted sailor,  such  a wonderful  change  was  wrought  in 
him  that  the  sailors  used  to  call  him  The  old  Christian, 
cannibal,  man-eater.”  He  died  soon  afterward. 

The  situation  of  the  missionaries  and  their  families 
here  was  a most  trying  one.  They  lived  in  constant  fear 
of  their  lives.  Their  worst  enemies,  however,  were 
not  the  heathen  Fijians,  but  the  civilized  English  run- 
away convicts  from  Australia.  While  cruising  among 
these  cannibal  islands  and  during  our  intercourse  with 
these  savages,  we  witnessed  many  scenes  and  incidents 
so  unnatural  and  shocking  that  the  mere  mention  of  them 
would  offend  the  moral  sensibilities  of  my  readers,  there- 
fore I refrain  from  speaking  of  them. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  Fijian  is  not  deficient  in 
intelligence ; that  he  is  shrewd,  apt  to  learn,  skilful,  and 
cunning.  But  his  soul  is  uninformed  by  that  moral 
beauty  which  might  conceal  the  dark  and  repulsive  feat- 
ures of  his  character.  In  this  respect  how  great  is  the 
contrast  between  him  and  the  matchless  scenery  by  which 
he  is  surrounded,  whose  purity  he  has  desecrated,  and 
whose  beauty  sullied  by  crimes  the  most  odious  and 
customs  the  most  abhorrent.  In  the  midst  of  all  that 
can  please  the  taste,  charm  the  fancy,  or  gratify  the  imag- 
ination ; where  everything  is  fair,  and  bright,  and  beau- 
tiful ; where  the  dreamy  haze  of  a tropical  clime  rests 
lovingly  on  hilltop  and  valley ; where  the  sun  smiles  in 
gladness  upon  landscapes  as  picturesque  and  charming 
as  the  sweetest  spots,  buried  in  foliage  and  flowers,  that 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


J95 


nestle  in  the  bosom  of  the  Italian  Alps ; where  brooks 
and  fountains  send  forth  unrestrained  their  unceasing 
melody ; where  the  breezes  are  soft  and  balmy,  and  the 
perfumed  breath  of  an  unending  summer  fills  the  air 
with  its  intoxicating  odor, — man  alone  is  debased.  Na- 
ture displays  her  brightest  charms  and  revels  in  her 
gayest  attire ; but  God’s  own  image  is  loathsome  and 
deformed.  Here  is  indeed  a field  for  the  missionary ; 
and  laborers  are  not  wanting  in  fulfilment  of  the  Divine 
command,  ‘Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the 
gospel.’  The  humble,  self-denying  followers  of  Wesley 
have  found  their  way  to  this  group.” 

Looking  backward  fifty  years  to  these  islands,  one  of 
the  loveliest  spots  on  this  huge  globe,  and  visiting  them 
in  my  imagination  to-day,  and  listening  to  the  cries  and 
sighs  of  the  natives,  perhaps  I may  be  pardoned  for 
thinking  it  would  have  been  better  if  the  islands  had 
never  been  discovered  by  Europeans ; not  that  Chris- 
tianity is  a failure,  but  that  our  civilization  is.  Nations 
are  like  individuals  — selfish,  selfish,  selfish.  The  more 
they  get,  the  more  they  want. 

The  Fiji  Islands  to-day  are  an  English  colony,  and  the 
Fiji  cannibals  are  British  subjects  to  Her  Most  Gracious 
Britannic  Majesty,  Victoria,  Queen  of  England,  Ireland, 
Scotland,  and  Wales,  that  kingdom  whose  unity,  it  is 
claimed,  has  never  been  broken.  Yes,  it  is  “ rule,  Bri- 
tannia.” She  rules  in  the  north,  in  the  south,  in  the  east, 
and  in  the  west.  How  did  she  come  into  possession  of 
these  lovely  islands?  In  the  same  way,  no  doubt,  that 
she  acquired  New  Zealand  — through  the  treachery  of 
the  American  consul,  who  was  an  Englishman. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


I g6 


The  condition  of  these  islanders  is,  in  many  respects, 
very  much  changed.  We  do  not  read  in  the  papers  of 
to-day  of  ships  being  cast  away  and  their  crews  clubbed, 
roasted,  and  eaten  by  the  South  Sea  cannibals.  In  con- 
trast we  read  in  the  English  papers  of  the  wonderful 
progress  of  the  Christian  religion  among  them,  and  how 
the  Salvation  Army  is  turning  many  of  them  into  blood 
and  fire”  soldiers. 

A few  months  since  I found  myself  in  the  Salvation 
Army  barracks  at  Camberwell,  George  Street,  London, 
and  had  the  pleasure  of  listening  to  Colonel  Barker,  who 
had  just  returned  from  New  Zealand.  He  stated  that 
many  of  the  natives  had  been  converted  and  had  joined 
the  army,  and  that  Adjutant  Holdaway  had  a Salvation 
band,  composed  of  Maoris,  who  could  play  and  sing 
many  of  the  army  tunes  and  hymns  equal  to  any  army 
corps  to  which  he  ever  listened ; and  that  the  uniform 
just  suited  them,  and  was  becoming  very  common  among 
them.  The  red  ganges,  with  the  word  ‘^Salvation”  in 
large,  white  letters  across  the  breast,  was  very  fashion- 
able with  them. 

I make  a few  quotations  from  Cries  from  Fiji,  and 
Sighings  from  the  South  Seas,”  by  Dr.  T.  P.  Lucas  of 
Melbourne  : 

The  labor  traffic  has  for  some  time  occupied  the  attention  of  the 
British  nation.  It  is  nothing  more  or  less  than  a veritable  British 
slave-trade.  What  means  the  old  song,  “ Britons  Never  shall  be 
Slaves  ”? 

Where  is  all  the  glory  of  the  British  liberty,  battled  for  and  ob- 
tained by  Wilberforce,  Buxton,  and  a host  of  others?  Where  is  the 
brightness  and  grandeur  of  the  British  Hag,  which  the  Queen  of  the 
Seas  displayed  before  all  nations  and  peoples?  Destruction  to 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


197 


slavery  and  to  the  slave-trade  forever  ! Who  are  those  who  stand 
in  the  places  of  the  heroes  of  the  past,  and  fear  to  speak  out  the 
national  watchword,  “England  and  Liberty”?  Is  there  no  na- 
tional honor  left?  Is  England  to  be  cowed  by  any  and  every  oppos- 
ing nation,  while  she  herself  descends  to  imbue  her  hands  in  the 
shed  blood  of  the  accursed  slave  traffic?  Rise  up,  ye  spirits  of  the 
departed,  and  weep  for  your  sons ! Lament,  ye  sages,  for  England 
is  once  more  a slave-holding  nation  ! 

The  reasons  which  have  led  to  this  are  the  desire  of  aspiring  sub- 
jects to  possess  large  estates,  and  the  difficulty  of  making  those 
estates  pay,  except  by  working  them  by  labor  at  a price  low 
enough  to  allow  competition  with  similar  estates  and  industries  in 
other  countries. 

A company  wants  two  hundred  men.  It  opens  relations  with 
the  chief  and  government,  and  the  two  hundred  men,  as  slaves, 
have  to  go,  leaving  wives  and  homes,  whether  they  will  it  or  no. 

Slaves?  Yes;  the  people  are  slaves.  Lest  the  white  man  should 
put  upon  them  they  are  not  allowed  to  work  of  their  own  free  will. 

Who  are  these  savages,  and  of  what  use  in  the  world,  lazy  dogs, 
and  cumberers  of  the  ground? 

Dogs,  they  are  dogs,  and  nothing  more ; 

No  soul  to  love,  no  spirit  to  adore, 

But  fit  for  slaves,  as  slaves  they  were  at  first, 

No  mind  to  ken,  though  kicked  and  cuffed  and  cursed. 

Depravity!  Well  may  the  angels  weep: 

While  He,  who  counts  the  sparrows  as  they  fall. 

In  vengeance  waits  to  hear  each  feeble  call. 

I will  only  add  that  it  is  sad  to  think  that  in  so  lovely  a part  of 
God’s  creation,  in  this  enlightened  nineteenth  century,  there  should 
exist  anything  so  vile,  putting  it  in  its  true  light,  as  a South  Sea 
English  slave-trade,  a traffic  which  is  more  infamous  than  any 
African  slave-trade.  And  this  traffic,  this  “ trade  in  human  beings,” 
is  carried  on  by  civilized  Englishmen  ! May  God  save  the  queen  ! 

The  survey  completed,  we  took  leave  of  the  Fiji  group 
on  August  nth.  Our  hearts  were  sad  as  we  thought  of 
the  fate  of  Lieutenant  Underwood  and  Midshipman 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


I g8 


Wilkes  Henry,  for  these  two  officers  had  been  great 
favorites  with  the  crew.  We  felt  very  thankful,  however, 
that  no  more  of  our  number  had  met  the  same  fate. 

On  clearing  the  reefs,  we  shaped  our  course  for  the 
Sandwich  Islands.  On  the  13th  we  passed  from  east  to 
west  longitude,  and  consequently  changed  our  reckoning 
by  a day. 

August  28.  On  board  the  Peacock,  another  island  was 
discovered,  and  named  Bowditch  Island,  for  the  author 
of  The  American  Navigator.”  The  people  found  on 
this  island  had  no  knowledge  of  fire,  which  is,  I believe, 
the  only  instance  of  the  kind  on  record.  They  appeared 
to  be  wild  with  fright  when  they  saw  the  sparks  fly  from 
the  flint  and  steel ; and  when  we  lighted  our  pipes,  and 
they  saw  the  smoke  issuing  from  our  mouths,  they  cried 
out,  Debolos,  debolos,'''  ‘‘Devils,  devils.”  When  we 
made  a fire  on  the  reef  they  looked  on  with  the  great- 
est curiosity. 

Yet  these  strange  people  had  their  gods  to  worship. 
I think  there  has  never  been  a race  of  people  discovered 
who  did  not  acknowledge  some  power  superior  to  their 
own.  Near  the  center  of  the  island  was  their  tiii-tokelau, 
or  house  of  their  gods.  It  was  oblong  in  shape,  about 
sixty  by  eighty  feet,  and  twenty  feet  in  height.  It  was 
built  of  cocoanut  wood,  and  thatched  with  pandanus 
leaves.  It  was  open  at  the  eaves,  from  which  hung  many 
beautiful  cowry  and  mother-of-pearl  shells.  Their  gods, 
or  idols,  were  placed  on  the  outside  of  the  building. 
These  idols  were  mostly  made  from  blocks  of  coral,  and 
were  covered  with  many  mats.  The  largest  was  fourteen 
feet  high  and  was  named  Tagaloa-ilaya-i-te-layi-Tagaloa 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


199 


(Above,  in  the  heavens) . The  smallest  idol  was  made  of 
stones  and  was  about  four  feet  high.  These  natives 
thought  that  we  came  down  from  the  skies.  Cocoanut 
Island  would  have  been  a very  appropriate  name  for  this 
one,  as  it  was  nearly  covered  with  groves  of  these  trees. 

After  visiting  Oatafer,  Utiroa,  and  several  other  islands 
in  the  Ellis,  Gilbert,  and  Kingsmill  groups,  we  steered  a 


direct  course  for  Oahu.  For  several  days  the  weather 
was  changeable  — short  calms,  sudden  squalls,  with  fresh 
breezes,  both  fair  and  foul  — and  the  wind  dead  ahead 
most  of  the  time.  Quite  a number  of  flying  fish  were 
picked  up  on  deck,  some  of  them  measuring  fifteen 
inches  in  length.  We  also  caught  several  porpoises. 

August  20,  21,  and  22.  Light  breezes  and  fair  weather. 
Early  on  the  morning  of  the  23d  land  was  reported  from 


200 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


the  mast-head,  two  points  on  the  weather  bow.  For 
several  days  the  weather  continued  fine.  We  came 
across  several  islands  not  laid  down  on  any  chart.  One 
was  named  McKean’s  Island,  for  the  man  who  first 
saw  it.  Another  was  named  Hull’s  Island,  for  Com- 
modore Isaac  Hull.  The  last  named  lies  in  40  29'  south 
latitude,  and  is  about  thirteen  miles  in  circumference. 
It  was  a coral  island  with  a lagoon  in  the  center,  which 
was  dry,  and  nearly  filled  with  coral  slabs  about  the  size 
and  thickness  of  tombstones.  These  were  scattered 
about,  and  piled  up  in  a variety  of  ways.  There  were 
many  large  turtles  on  this  island,  and  some  rats,  or  a 
kind  of  animal  whose  tail  resembled  that  of  the  rat. 
These  little  creatures  would  sit  up  on  their  hind  legs  like 
squirrels,  and  stare  at  us.  There  were  also  many  birds 
of  beautiful  plumage,  which  were  very  tame,  and  did 
not  flinch  when  we  pulled  the  bright  feathers  from  their 
tails.  There  were  no  natives  upon  this  island. 

August  25,  26,  27,  and  28.  We  had  frequent  thunder 
showers. 

September  4.  Crossed  the  line  in  longitude  169°. 
Many  birds,  including  the  tropical  bird,  booby,  tern, 
and  plover,  hovered  about  the  ships.  At  noon  the  sun 
was  directly  overhead,  and  there  was  not  a shadow  to  be 
seen. 

It  is  a singular  fact  that  the  natives  living  near  the 
equator  are  of  a lighter  complexion  than  those  in  higher 
latitudes. 

On  the  evening  of  the  5 th  we  took  a light,  southerly 
breeze,  which  we  held  until  the  8th,  when  it  left  us,  and 
then  for  one  long  week  we  experienced  a dead  calm. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


201 


during  which  time  we  drifted  about,  backing  and  filling, 
in  the  doldrums,  hearing  not  so  much  as  a whisper  of 
the  wind  nor  the  flapping  of  a sail.  But  for  the  long, 
huge,  heaving  swell  of  old  ocean’s  mighty  bosom,  I 
might  say  that  we  were  in  the  ocean’s  graveyard. 

There  is  a dreary  monotony  in  a dead  calm  at  sea 
which  vividly  calls  to  mind  Byron’s  striking  pen-picture  : 

“ The  rivers,  lakes,  and  ocean,  all  stood  still, 

And  nothing  stirred  within  their  depths; 

Ships,  sailorless,  lay  rotting  on  the  sea. 

And  their  masts  fell  piecemeal  as  they  dropped. 

They  slept  on  the  abyss  without  a surge; 

The  waves  were  dead;  the  tides  were  in  their  grave; 

The  moon,  their  mistress,  had  expired  before 
The  winds  were  withered  in  the  stagnant  air 
And  the  clouds  perished.” 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


At  daylight  on  the  morning  of  the  23d  of  September 
we  made  Oahu,  one  of  the  Sandwich  Islands,  and  about 
eight  o’clock  entered  the  harbor  of  Honolulu.  A couple 
of  small  hawsers  were  run  out  from  the  starboard  bow, 
and  these  were  seized  by  several  hundred  natives,  men, 
women,  and  children,  who  were  on  the  reef,  up  to  their 
necks  in  water,  and  very  soon  the  ship  was  warped  over 
the  bar  and  into  port,  amid  such  shouting  and  singing 
that  it  seemed  as  though  bedlam  had  broken  loose.  All 
Honolulu,  including  its  land-sharks,  was  at  the  waterside 
and  joined  in  the  shouting  and  cheering.  It  was  not  the 
novelty  that  created  the  excitement,  for  the  arrival  of  a 
man-of-war,  in  their  port,  was  no  uncommon  thing ; but 
they  looked  upon  the  event  as  a sort  of  golden  shower 
which  was  to  fill  their  pockets.  They  had  been  expect- 
ing our  arrival  for  six  months. 

By  eleven  o’clock  we  had  the  ship  safely  moored  close 
to  the  consul’s  wharf.  After  dinner  all  hands  were  called 
to  muster  on  the  quarter-deck,  when  Commodore  Wilkes 
informed  us  that  he  wished  to  re-enter  us  for  eighteen 
months  longer,  saying  at  the  time  that  it  was  impossible 
to  sooner  complete  the  work  which  he  had  undertaken. 
He  told  us  that  those  who  re-entered  should  have  three 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


20^ 


months’  pay  and  two  weeks’  liberty,  and  that  their  wages 
would  be  raised  one-fourth. 

Nearly  all  our  ships’  crews  had  entered  for  three  years, 
and,  as  their  time  had  expired,  all  hands  had  an  idea 
that  when  we  left  Honolulu  it  would  be  to  up  anchor  for 
‘‘  home,  sweet,  sweet  home.” 

Like  all  the  young  men  and  boys  in  the  squadron,  1 
felt  heartily  sick  of  the  navy.  We  learned  nothing  but 
to  pull  and  haul,  handle  the  light  sails,  holy-stone  decks, 
clean  bright  work,  do  boat  duty,  etc.  None  but  able 
seamen  were  allowed  to  go  to  the  wheel,  heave  the  lead, 
or  work  on  the  rigging.  As  young  as  I was,  before  I 
entered  the  navy  I had  learned  to  box  the  compass, 
heave  the  lead,  knot  a rope-yarn,  haul  out  an  earing, 
work  a Matthew  Walker,  and  Turk’s  head,  strap  a block, 
knot,  hand,  reef,  and  steer.  I learned  more  seamanship 
on  board  the  merchantman  Rainbow,  during  an  eight 
months’  voyage  from  New  York  to  Canton,  China,  than 
in  my  seven  years  in  the  navy. 

Quite  a number  of  the  men  who  had  families  and  had 
not  seen  their  dear  ones  for  years,  left,  and  went  on 
board  three  whale-ships  which  were  homeward  bound. 
After  listening  to  many  long  yarns  spun  upon  deck,  I 
consulted  my  own  mind,  and  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  I would  not  leave  the  ship  short-handed  in  a foreign 
port. 

The  next  morning  the  purser,  Mr.  Waldron,  told  me 
that  the  four  dollars  a month  to  my  mother  was  for  only 
three  years,  and  had  now  expired.  I asked  him  if  there 
was  any  way  for  me  to  send  some  money  to  my  mother, 
and  he  told  me  that  one  of  the  whale-ships  would  sail  in 


204 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


about  a week  for  New  Bedford,  and  that  the  money 
could  be  sent  by  her.  I had  now  fully  made  up  my 
mind  to  re-enter,  and  so,  with  others,  wrote  my  name 
in  full,  and  felt  as  big  and  grand  as  though  I were  an 
officer. 

The  next  day  the  purser  gave  me  a paper  on  which 
was  written  the  following  : 

U.  S.  Ship  Vincennes,  Honolulu,  May  7th,  1841. 

I have  charged  to  Charlie  Erskine,  ord’y  seaman.  One  Hundred 
Dollars,  to  be  sent  per  order  to  F.  D.  Quincy,  Esq.,  of  Boston,  for 
his  mother,  which  sum  is  to  be  repaid  to  C.  Erskine  in  case  it 
should  not  be  received,  by  R.  R.  Waldron,  purser. 

My  First  Letter. 

“the  Sandwich  Islands  year  1841. 

on  board  of  ship  Vincens 

Mother,  Mother,  Dear  Mother, 

while  fair  away  a cruseing  amoung  the  islands  of  the  sea,  I never. 
Oh  no  Dear  mother,  I never,  never  will  forget  to  think  of  the. 
by  going  to  Mr.  F.  D.  Quincy  25  Commercial  Street  You  will  get 
one  hundred  dollars  from 

Your  absent  son  Charlie.” 


When  I re-entered,  and  signed  the  ship’s  articles,  I 
was  paid  three  months’  wages  and  twelve  dollars  grog 
money.  During  the  day  all  the  foreign  consuls,  mission- 
aries, and  many  of  the  residents  visited  the  ship.  A 
young  English  naturalist  wanted  to  match  a beautiful 
orange-colored  cowry  shell.  I had  its  mate,  and  he  gave 
me  ten  dollars  for  it,  and  twenty  dollars  for  a head  of 
tortoise-shell. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


20^ 


There  were  nine  whale-ships  lying  here,  besides  our 
squadron.  Five  of  them  were  American.  The  next 
morning  between  five  and  six  hundred  American  sailors, 
all  dressed  in  white  frocks  and  trousers_,  black  tarpaulin 
hats  and  neckerchiefs,  and  their  pockets  well  filled  with 
Spanish  dollars,  went  on  shore.  Passing  the  American 
consul’s  house,  half-way  up  Main  Street,  we  hove  to,  and 
saluted  the  Star  Spangled  Banner,  which  was  proudly 
waving  from  his  house.  The  consul,  Mr.  Brinsmade, 
and  his  wife,  bowed  very  gracefully  to  us  from  the 
veranda. 

It  astonished  the  natives  greatly  to  see  so  many  sailors 
let  loose  at  once.  The  principal  street  of  the  town  was 
Main  Street.  The  first  settlers  lived  on  this  street,  in 
frame  houses.  Some  of  these  were  painted  white,  with 
green  blinds,  and  were  inclosed  with  neat  picket-fences. 
The  next  street  was  about  half  a mile  back,  and  ran 
crosswise.  The  buildings  on  this  street  had  thatched 
roofs  and  sides,  with  glass  windows  and  frame  doors. 
Here  were  located  the  grog-shops,  dancing-halls,  billiard- 
rooms,  cock-pits,  sailors’  boarding-houses,  and  gambling- 
saloons.  Some  of  these  houses  were  inclosed  by  walls 
of  brick,  dried  in  the  sun,  and  were  whitewashed.  These 
were  occupied  by  the  middle  classes.  European  gar- 
ments were  worn  by  this  class  of  people.  On  the  next 
street  the  houses  were  rudely  fashioned.  They  were 
built  of  sticks,  vines,  and  half-formed  sun-dried  bricks, 
and  plastered  with  mud.  The  residents  on  this  street 
were  not  quite  half-dressed.  Some  of  the  men  wore  hat 
and  shirt,  and  some  wore  trousers  and  no  shirt.  The 
dress  of  the  ladies  was  made  very  much  like  a bag  with 


2o6 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


a hole  in  the  bottom,  for  the  head  to  be  slipped  through, 
and  arm-holes  in  the  sides.  It  reached  to  the  ankles, 
and  appeared  to  be  of  the  same  width  throughout  its 
entire  length. 

In  the  outskirts,  mud  huts  were  found,  which  once 
formed  the  only  habitations  of  the  Sandwich  Islanders. 


THE  seaman’s  bethel,  HONOLULU. 


The  natives  occupying  these  were  dressed  in  the  garb  of 
the  heathen,  a narrow  strip  of  tapa  tied  around  the  loins, 
or  a blanket  of  the  same  material  thrown  corner-wise 
over  the  left  shoulder  and  tied  in  a large  knot  on  the 
breast. 

The  greatest  curiosity  I saw  while  here  was  the  Sea- 
man’s Bethel.  This  was  built  in  Boston  by  the  Boston 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


207 


Seaman^s  Friends’  Society,  taken  down  and  shipped  to 
this  port  in  1826  or  1828.  It  was  in  this  bethel  that 
Father  Damon  preached  so  many  years. 

The  third  day  we  were  on  shore  anybody  would  have 
known  to  be  Sunday,  because  it  was  so  quiet.  It  was 
impossible  to -get  a native  to  play  a game,  neither  could 
any  of  them  be  hired  to  do  anything.  In  the  forenoon, 
about  a hundred  of  us  went  to  the  Seaman’s  Bethel  to 
hear  the  pastor.  Rev.  Mr.  Diell,  preach.  In  the  after- 
noon we  listened  to  a missionary  by  the  name  of  Bingham, 
who  preached  to  the  natives  in  their  own  language. 

We  passed  our  time  on  shore  very  pleasantly,  in  the 
sailors’  boarding-houses  kept  by  ^Wankee  Jim”  and  ^‘Old 
Smith,”  and  in  visiting  the  distant  villages.  Diamond  Hill, 
the  Punch  Bowl,  the  Plains  of  Waikiki,  and  the  Valley  of 
Nuuanu.  It  was  rare  sport  for  us  to  frolic  in  the  surf 
with  the  natives,  join  with  them  in  their  dances,  slide 
down  hill  with  them  on  the  holna  (a  kind  of  sled),  sing 
songs,  play  cards,  and  games,  such  as  hide-and-seek,  tag, 
and  see- saw,  and  last,  but  not  least,  paying  forfeits.  We 
had  a jolly  time  together. 

Our  holidays  came  to  a close  at  last,  and  all  hands 
returned  to  our  respective  ships,  minus  dollars  and  some- 
what under  the  weather  from  our  frolic.  To  give  Jack 
before  the  mast  his  due,  I will  add  that  not  one  of  us 
was  put  in  the  fort  or  even  complained  of  during  our 
two  weeks’  liberty  on  shore. 

After  we  returned  on  board  ship  a court-martial  was 
held  for  the  trial  of  two  marines  for  refusing  duty  (they 
asserting  that  their  time  was  up) , and  an  Englishman,  by 
the  name  of  Peter  Sweeney,  who  shipped  at  New  Zea- 


2o8 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


land.  Sweeney  was  very  conceited  and  disagreeable.  At 
all  times,  whether  drunk  or  sober,  he  would  curse  every- 
thing American,  using  such  expressions  as  ^Uhe  bloody 
ship,”  ^‘the  bloody  grub,”  ‘Uhe  bloody  Yankee  tars,” 
the  bloody  Stars  and  Stripes,”  the  bloody  Yankee  com- 
modore,” and  so  on.  He  was  no  sailor,  and  was  as  useless 
as  a spare  pump  on  board,  and  the  ship’s  crew  requested 
the  commodore  to  discharge  him  from  the  ship  and  the 
expedition. 

The  court-martial  sentenced  the  men  to  receive  a cer- 
tain number  of  lashes  on  their  bare  backs,  with  the  cat- 
o’-nine-tails.  The  ship’s  launch  was  rigged  with  a half- 
deck and  gallows.  A number  of  marines,  with  the 
boatswain  and  his  three  mates,  were  appointed  to  guard 
the  prisoners  and  inflict  the  punishment.  The  launch 
was  towed  by  another  boat  alongside  the  Peacock,  Por- 
poise, and  Vincennes,  when  the  rigging  was  manned  and 
the  men  flogged,  one  after  another. 

The  culprits  were  lashed  to  the  shrouds  by  their  wrists, 
with  a piece  of  spun-yarn,  and  by  their  ankles  to  a grat- 
ing, with  a shot-box  between  their  feet.  When  the  order 
was  given,  Boatswain’s  mate,  do  your  duty,”  one  of  the 
quarter-gunners,  with  his  thumb  and  finger,  removed  the 
shirt  which  had  been  placed  on  the  man’s  back,  with 
the  sleeves  over  his  shoulders.  The  boatswain’s  mate 
then  drew  the  lines  of  the  cat  through  his  fingers,  raised 
them  above  his  head,  and  let  them  fall  upon  the  man’s 
back. 

Riley  received  sixteen  lashes,  Sweeney  eight,  and  Ward 
a baker’s  dozen,  thirteen.  The  eagle  buttons  were  then 
cut  from  Sweeney’s  clothes,  and  he,  with  his  bag  and 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast.  2og 


hammock,  was  placed  in  the  dinky,  which  was  towed 
to  the  shore,  stern  foremost,  by  another  boat,  while  the 
ship’s  fifer  and  drummer  played  the  ‘^Rogue’s  March.” 

During  the  exhibition,  the  decks  and  rigging  of  the 
nine  whale-ships,  many  boats  and  canoes  in  the  harbor, 
and  on  shore  the  fort,  housetops,  and  beach,  were  cov- 
ered with  a mass  of  human  beings,  all  eager  to  witness 
this  barbarous  spectacle. 

I quote  from  the  commodore’s  own  language  : Un- 
derstanding from  our  consul  that  the  sailors  of  the  whal- 
ing fleet,  as  is  most  generally  the  case,  were  disposed  to 
be  disorderly ; and  my  interference  being  several  times 
asked  for,  I thought  it  a good  opportunity  to  show  the 
crews  of  all  these  vessels  that  authority  to  punish  offenders 
existed.  I therefore  ordered  the  sentence  of  the  court 
to  be  put  in  execution  publicly,  after  the  usual  manner 
in  such  cases  : ^ Flogging  through  the  fleet  ’ ! ” 

This  example  was  set  before  a half-civilized  people, 
who  were  just  emerging  from  heathen  darkness  into 
Christian  light  ! Well  might  it  have  been  asked,  Where 
is  our  Christianity?  Where  is  our  civilization?  ” 

There  were  in  Honolulu  at  this  time  many  beer-drink- 
ing Germans,  pipe-loving  Dutchmen,  French  dandies, 
conceited  Englishmen,  Yankees,  Hoosiers,  California 
Indians,  and  almond-eyed,  sallow-faced  Chinamen.  Of 
the  latter  class  were  Sam  and  Mou,  who  run  a bakery. 
The  sign  over  their  door  read  as  follows  : 

‘‘  Good  people  all,  come  near  and  buy 
Of  Sam  and  Mou  good  cake  and  pie; 

Bread,  hard  or  soft,  for  land  or  sea. 

Celestial  made, — come,  buy  of  we.” 


210 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


Note  the  last  line,  Celestial  made” — from  dogs  and 
cats  raised  for  the  purpose. 

rhere  were  two  weekly  newspapers  printed  here,  called 
The  Polynesian.  One  was  in  English,  the  other  in  the 
Hawaiian  language.  Eleven  thousand  copies  of  the 
Bible  had  also  been  printed  in  the  native  language,  and 
distributed  among  the  islands. 

Some  sixty  or  seventy  Kanakas,  or  natives,  were 
shipped  to  take  the  place  of  the  crew  who  had  left. 
The  two  whale-ships  sailed  for  the  United  States.  How 
I longed  to  be  with  them.  The  ships  of  the  squadron 
had  been  thoroughly  overhauled,  smoked,  and  repainted. 
I'he  ships  had  been  overrun  with  rats  and  cockroaches. 
Some  of  the  latter  were  three  inches  long.  On  the 
berth  deck  at  night  swarms  of  them  might  be  seen  flying 
about.  They  were  so  ravenous  that  they  even  ate  the 
horn  buttons  off  our  clothes,  and  attacked  our  toe-nails 
while  we  were  asleep  in  our  hammocks. 

Early  in  the  morning,  on  the  3d  of  December,  we 
weighed  anchor  and  put  to  sea,  with  the  American  con- 
sul, Mr.  Brinsmade,  and  a missionary  by  the  name  of 
Judd. 

The  Sandwich  Islands  were  discovered  by  Captain 
Cook  in  1778.  They  are  eleven  in  number,  situated  in 
the  tropics  between  19°  and  23°  north  latitude.  We 
headed  for  the  island  of  Hawaii,  formerly  called  Owhy- 
hee.  It  is  nearly  ninety  miles  long  and  seventy  broad, 
being  the  largest  of  the  group.  It  blew  pretty  fresh, 
the  sea  was  somewhat  rough,  and  our  Kanaka  ship- 
mates were  quite  indisposed.  They  lay  about  on  deck 
like  so  many  landlubbers,  as  willing  to  die  as  to  live. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


21 1 


Our  supply  of  provisions,  which  we  took  on  board  at 
Honolulu,  had  been  stored  in  the  consul’s  house  a num- 
ber of  years,  and  our  hard- tack  was  very  moldy,  and 
alive  with  grub- worms.  We  used  to  soak  the  bread  in 
our  tea,  when  the  animals  would  float  on  top,  and  we 
would  skim  them  off.  We  did  not  exactly  relish  this  at 
first,  but  soon  got  used  to  it,  however. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


On  the  9th  we  made  Hilo  Bay,  and  took  a pilot,  who 
proved  to  be  John  Ely,  who  had  been  a shipmate  of 
the  commodore  when  he  was  a midshipman  in  the 
Guerriere  frigate  in  1820.  Meanwhile  both  had  grown 
into  manhood  and  forgotten  each  other.  Ely  said  that 
he  had  been  living  among  these  ignorant  savages  ever 
since. 

At  five  o’clock  we  dropped  anchor  in  six  fathoms  of 
water  with  muddy  bottom.  The  two  great  mountains  on 
this  island  offer  a grand  sight.  They  can  be  seen  out  at 
sea  at  a distance  of  sixty  miles.  Their  summits  were 
covered  with  snow,  and  a belt  of  dark,  heavy  clouds 
hung  below.  Father  Coan  lived  in  this  village,  in  a 
little  red  house  with  white  sills  and  a double  row  of 
small  windows.  Nearly  all  hands  went  to  his  church  on 
Sunday.  It  was  a very  large  building,  seating  nearly 
seven  thousand  people.  Many  of  the  native  houses 
were  surrounded  by  bread-fruit  and  cocoanut  trees, 
clusters  of  pine-apples  and  rows  of  sugar-cane. 

On  arrival,  our  observatory  was  established  at  Point 
Waiakea.  An  expedition  to  the  mountains  was  fitted 
out,  consisting  of  the  commodore,  ten  officers,  Mr. 
Brinsmade,  Dr.  Judd,  a number  of  seamen,  and  two 


MISSIONARY  PREACHING  TO  NATIVES 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


213 


hundred  natives  to  carry  the  portable  houses,  instru- 
ments, tents,  and  provisions.  The  natives  were  sep- 
arated into  parties,  numbered,  and  loaded.  It  was  three 
o’clock  when  we  started,  with  our  two  hundred  bearers 
of  burdens,  forty  hogs,  a bullock,  and  a bullock- hunter, 
fifty  bearers  of  poe,  twenty-five  with  calabashes,  large 
and  small,  others  with  iron  pots,  kettles,  frying-pans,  etc. 
Some  were  lightly  and  others  heavily  loaded,  their  burden 
being  lashed  to  their  backs,  or  carried  on  each  end  of 
sticks  balanced  across  their  shoulders,  which  is  their 
usual  mode  of  carrying  burdens. 

We  encamped  for  supper  about  six  o’clock  at  a vil- 
lage called  Olaa,  having  traveled  about  eight  miles. 
Here  we  waited  until  the  moon  arose,  which  was  at 
midnight,  when  we  again  got  under  way,  making  Kap- 
uanhi,  or  Flea  village,  about  ten  p.  isr.  Here  they  had 
some  of  the  largest,  as  well  as  some  of  the  smallest,  and 
spryest  fleas  I have  ever  seen.  I have  been  in  a number 
of  fleay  regions,  but  never  found  them  so  numerous  nor 
knew  them  to  bite  so  spitefully  as  here.  Here  we  made 
quite  a stop  for  breakfast  and  for  rest,  but  the  fleas  gave 
us  no  rest.  Besides  these  tormentors  there  were  mos- 
quitoes of  enormous  size,  scorpions,  and  centipedes. 
But  the  fleas  took  the  cake.”  The  natives  told  us 
that  the  mosquitoes  and  fleas  were  brought  to  their 
island  by  the  first  ships  years  and  years  before,  and  that 
they  had  been  biting,  flying,  and  hooping  about  ” ever 
since. 

On  leaving  Kapuanhi  we  found  the  road  very  hard  to 
travel.  The  next  village  was  Kappaohee.  Here  we 
refreshed  ourselves,  took  a siesta,  and  then  got  under 


214 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


way  again,  heading  for  the  summit  of  Mauna  Loa.  In 
about  a couple  of  days  we  arrived  at  a plain  on  the  side 
of  the  mountain,  where  is  situated  the  volcanic  crater 
called  Kilauea,  eight  thousand  feet  above  the  sea-level. 
We  pitched  our  camp  in  full  view  of  one  of  the  largest 
volcanoes  in  the  known  world.  The  crater  of  Kilauea 
is  seven  times  as  large  as  Boston  Common.  Imagine 
yourself,  kind  reader,  standing  at  its  edge,  looking  down 
into  this  huge  pit  one  thousand  feet  deep,  and  behold- 
ing at  its  bottom  lakes  of  liquid  fire,  boiling  over  into 
each  other,  dashing  their  fiery  waves  against  the  dark 
sides,  and  throwing  up  fiery  jets  sixty  to  eighty  feet  into 
the  air.  The  view  at  night  is  sublime  in  the  extreme. 
While  a dog-watch  of  us  were  seated  on  its  edge,  with 
our  feet  hanging  over,  another  pool  burst  forth,  with  a 
hissing,  rushing  roar.  As  it  boiled  over,  the  cherry-red 
liquid  lava  ran  in  streams  to  another  pool.  In  less  than 
an  hour  it  formed  a lake  a mile  in  circumference,  as 
large  as  Boston  Common.  It  kept  on  hissing,  roaring, 
boiling,  and  sending  up  its  fiery  red  liquid  lava  jets 
sixty  to  eighty  feet.  A vast  cloud  of  silvery  brightness 
hung  overhead,  more  glorious  than  anything  we  had  ever 
beheld.  This  scene  was  well  worth  a voyage  around  the 
world. 

While  sitting  here.  Bill  Richmond,  one  of  our  boat- 
swain’s mates,  began  to  spin  a yarn  about  the  kind  of  a 
purchase  he  could  rig  in  order  to  hoist  one  of  the  big 
icebergs  we  had  seen  in  the  Antarctic  seas  so  as  to  drop 
it  into  this  volcano.  What  a sizzling  it  would  make  ! 

Just  then  the  commodore,  with  other  officers,  hove  in 
sight  a short  distance  off.  He  called  us  a pack  of 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


21^ 


foolish  virgins,”  and  said,  I don’t  believe  you  could 
find  half  a dozen  landlubbers  so  silly  as  to  perch  them- 
selves there,”  and  ordered  us  to  go  and  turn  in.  The 
camp  was  about  two  hundred  yards  off,  and  when  we 
made  it  it  was  two  bells,  one  o’clock. 

At  daylight  the  mortar  was  fired,  when  all  hands 
turned  out,  raising  a great  hubbub.  All  were  grumbling 
and  complaining  about  their  burdens.  Shaking  their 
heads,  they  pointed  to  their  loads,  and  growled  out, 
viitif  and,  to  cap  the  climax,  they  even  struck 
for  higher  wages.  The  commodore  acceded  to  their 
demand,  and  seeing  that  they  were  all  tired  out,  and  the 
shoulders  of  many  were  sore,  sent  down  for  fifty  more 
natives  without  their  fraus,”  and  concluded  to  lay  to 
until  the  next  day  in  order  to  give  the  natives  a rest. 

There  were  a large  number  of  hangers-on,  in  the  shape 
of  wives  and  relatives.  Some  had  two  wives,  and  some 
had  their  sisters-in-law.  These  young  ladies  greeted 
the  rising  of  the  sun  with  their  native  dance.  When 
they  had  become  somewhat  excited  in  it,  the  bullock, 
which  was  half  wild,  got  loose,  and  such  a rush  in  all 
directions  to  get  beyond  the  reach  of  his  horns.  It  was 
really  a very  amusing  scene.  The  bullock  was  soon 
secured  by  the  hunter,  and  driven  on  in  advance  of  the 
party.  During  the  day  the  burdens  were  more  equally 
divided  among  the  natives. 

While  here,  a party  of  us  descended  to  the  bottom  of 
the  crater,  and  poked  sticks  into  a small  pool  of  lava. 
The  sticks  immediately  took  fire.  There  are  many 
caves  on  this  mountain.  We  ventured  into  several  of 
them.  Some  of  them  are  of  unknown  extent.  In  one 


2i6 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


that  we  entered  we  found  it  so  carved  and  finished  as 
to  resemble  a work  of  art.  A projection,  some  three 
feet  high,  ran  along  on  either  side  far  down  into  the 
passage,  very  elegantly  molded,  and  making  splendid 
seats.  The  floor  was  smooth.  Overhead  were  hanging 
lava  icicles,”  two  to  three  feet  long,  from  which  was 
slowly  dripping  very  sweet  but  extremely  cold  water. 
We  penetrated  this  cave  for  more  than  half  a mile. 
Once  there  flowed  through  it  a stream  of  boiling  lava 
which  has  so  completely  inundated  the  whole  island. 

In  another  cave  we  found  the  remains  of  birds  and 
the  skeleton  of  a human  being.  On  the  plain  were 
many  chasms  and  crevices,  from  which  steam  issued. 
In  these  we  scalded  our  hogs  and  cooked  our  food. 

The  next  morning  we  resumed  our  journey  up  the 
mountain.  The  hangers-on,  in  the  shape  of  wives  and 
sweethearts,  were  so  much  in  our  way,  and  such  con- 
sumers of  our  food,  that  all  of  them  were  forbidden  fol- 
lowing us,  and  so  they  went  back  to  their  wigwams. 

As  we  advanced  the  air  grew  cooler,  and  the  way 
rougher.  In  two  days,  after  much  hard  traveling,  v/e 
had  left  all  shrubbery  behind  us,  and  had  ascended 
above  the  clouds  and  could  look  down  upon  them. 
After  leaving  here  we  had  no  path  to  follow,  the  whole 
surface  being  a mass  of  lava. 

The  next  day  was  Sunday,  and  a day  of  rest  to  our 
weary  limbs.  In  the  afternoon  of  Monday,  finding  it 
impossible  to  drive  the  bullock  any  farther,  he  was 
killed.  Water  had  become  very  scarce,  and  the  natives 
were  hawking  it  about  the  camp  at  half  a dollar  a quart. 
They  did  not  sell  much. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


2iy 


One  of  our  shipmates,  William  Longley,  was  missing 
for  several  days.  When  last  seen  he  complained  of  be- 
ing sick.  Many  of  us  had  the  mountain  fever, — that 
is,  a shortness  of  breath,  sore  eyes,  with  much  headache, 
and  a dryness  of  the  skin. 

The  next  morning  after  we  had  got  fairly  under  way, 
we  were  overtaken  and  enveloped  in  a snow-cloud. 
The  natives  became  much  frightened,  and  shouted  out, 

Ou7y  mitif  ^^No  good,”  and  nearly  all  of  them  left  and 
ran  down  the  mountain.  They  had  nothing  on  but  a 
narrow  strip  of  tapa  tied  around  the  loins,  and  a scanty 
blanket  over  the  shoulders,  leaving  the  body,  arms,  and 
legs  exposed  to  the  weather.  The  thermometer  was  at 
thirty  degrees,  and  they  had  been  accustomed  from 
childhood  to  a temperature  of  seventy  to  eighty  degrees. 
Fortunately  the  commodore  had  previously  sent  down 
to  the  ship  for  a hundred  or  more  men. 

It  cleared  away  in  the  afternoon,  leaving  the  snow  a 
foot  deep.  We  could  not  make  much  progress  through 
the  snow,  with  our  heavy  loads,  so  we  sought  shelter  in 
one  of  the  caves,  where  we  passed  rather  an  uncomfort- 
able night.  In  this  cave  we  found  a small  pond  of 
water  frozen  over.  The  ice  was  about  eight  inches 
thick.  At  sunrise  we  came  forth  from  the  lava  cave  to 
behold  a sublime  scene.  The  lofty  dome  of  Mauna 
Loa  was  covered  with  a mantle  of  snow.  The  effect 
of  the  rising  sun  upon  it  gave  it  the  appearance  of  a 
fairy  dome.  It  would  quickly  change  from  a blush- 
rose  color  to  a bright  scarlet,  then  light  purple. 
Finally,  it  assumed  its  pure  white  mantle. 

Looking  down  on  the  valleys  and  the  plains  below  us 


2i8 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


we  could  see  the  waving  of  the  lofty  palms  in  the  morn- 
ing breeze.  Looking  farther  down  into  the  bay  we 
could  see  old  ocean’s  waves  rolling  in  and  throwing  the 
silvery  spray  high  in  the  air  over  the  coral  reefs.  We 
could  but  admire  the  wonderful  contrast.  By  ten 
o’clock  nearly  all  the  snow  had  disappeared. 

About  eleven,  fifty  of  our  ship’s  company  arrived, 
bringing  the  glad  tidings  that  our  lost  shipmate,  Longley, 
had  been  found  near  one  of  the  caves,  though  in  a very 
feeble  condition.  He  said  he  had  seen  people  pass  and 
repass,  but  had  not  had  the  strength  to  attract  their 
attention.  He  had  been  exposed  to  the  cold  and  rain 
three  days  and  nights.  The  best  of  care  was  taken  of 
him  and  he  soon  recovered.  The  day  proved  fine,  and 
we  got  everything  in  readiness  for  an  early  start  in  the 
morning,  and  after  a hearty  supper  of  hard-tack,  boiled 
fresh  beef,  and  boiled  tea  without  sugar,  we  made  for 
the  cave,  rolled  ourselves  up  in  our  blankets,  turned  in 
on  our  lava  beds,  and  tried  to  go  to  sleep.  At  day- 
light the  next  morning  we  turned  out  and  breakfasted 
on  a most  delicious  scouse  and  Scotch  coffee,  after  which 
we  made  a move  for  the  summit,  arriving  there  the 
next  day  noon  with  weary  limbs  and  sore  feet.  The 
ascent  for  the  last  five  or  six  miles  was  very  rough.  The 
whole  surface  was  covered  with  lava  clinkers,  much  re- 
sembling those  from  a blacksmith’s  forge.  We  were 
provided  with  green  raw-hide  sandals  to  travel  over  this 
steep,  rough  road,  and  it  was  no  boy’s  play  to  travel  it 
for  five  or  six  miles,  carrying  heavy  boxes  of  instruments, 
pieces  of  the  portable  house,  and  provisions.  But  Jack 
before  the  mast  carried  the  whole  lot  to  the  summit, 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast.  21  g 


singing,  laughing,  and  joking,  as  if  on  a picnic  party. 
Place  the  sailor  in  any  situation  you  will,  you  cannot 
deprive  him  of  his  mirth  and  gayety. 

The  commodore  having  selected  a suitable  place,  we 
pitched  our  camp,  satisfied  the  inner  man  the  best  we 
could,  spun  several  yarns,  then  turned  in. 

The  next  morning  the  sun  rose  clear  and  bright,  and 
everything  was  tranquil.  After  an  early  breakfast  we 
erected  the  portable  houses,  and  the  instruments  were 
put  up  and  the  pendulum  set  in  motion.  We  then 
commenced  to  build  a wall  as  high  as  we  could  reach, 
with  the  lava  clinkers,  around  the  whole  camp,  to  pro- 
tect the  houses  from  the  force  of  the  wind,  the  commo- 
dore and  officers  working  with  us,  and  as  hard  as  the 
best  of  us. 

A number  of  stations  had  been  established  on  the 
route  down  to  the  ship,  so  we  heard  from  her  every  few 
days. 

The  summit  of  this  mountain  is  nearly  fifteen  thou- 
sand feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  Old  Tom  Finer 
used  to  tell  us  that  we  were  then  as  near  to  heaven  as  we 
ever  would  be  unless  we  mended  our  ways.  My  pros- 
pects of  a berth  in  that  port  are  much  brighter  to-day 
than  they  were  then. 

There  are  four  craters  on  the  summit  of  Mauna  Loa, 
but  they  are  nearly  or  quite  inactive.  We  descended 
into  one  of  them  and  traveled  over  it  for  a distance  of 
two  miles.  As  we  had  looked  into  it  from  the  brim  the 
bottom  had  appeared  smooth  and  even,  but  after  having 
descended  we  found  it  filled  with  heaps  of  clinkers  and 
massive  blocks  of  lava.  Little  patches  of  beautiful 


220 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


snow,  which  had  drifted  into  the  crevices,  formed  a 
striking  contrast  to  the  dark  lava.  One  crevasse  sent 
forth  hot  dust  or  ashes.  From  others  hot  steam  rushed, 
sometimes  with  a loud  and  hissing  sound,  like  that  of  a 
locomotive.  After  collecting  many  specimens,  we  about 
ship  and  stood  for  the  camp.  The  east  side  of  the 
mountain  was  one  vast  plain  of  unbroken  lava,  which  had 
at  some  time  flowed  from  one  of  the  craters.  It  was 
dazzling  to  the  eyes  to  behold  it,  resembling,  as  it  were,  a 
limitless  sheet  of  bronze,  radiating  all  the  colors  of  the 
rainbow  from  its  burnished  surface.  The  vast  dome, 
which  is  the  summit  of  Mauna  Loa,  is  about  twenty  miles 
broad. 

AVe  made  the  camp  at  two  bells,  five  o’clock  ; at  six 
o’clock  had  our  usual  supper  of  hard-tack  and  boiled  tea, 
our  dessert  consisting  of  bananas.  The  dog-watch  was 
spent  in  smoking,  mending  our  saddles,  singing,  and 
spinning  yarns. 

Standing  on  the  summit  of  this  mountain,  and  viewing 
the  scene  before  me,  I was  reminded  of  the  expression 
of  an  old  lady  when  carried  for  the  first  time  to  the  top 
of  a mountain.  Looking  all  around,  and  seeing  hill  and 
valley,  village  and  river  beneath  her,  the  good  old  lady 
raised  her  hands  and  exclaimed,  Good  Lord  a massy, 
wall  I declare  to  gracious  what  a big  world  it  is,  after 
all  ! ” 

During  our  stay  of  three  weeks  above  the  clouds  we 
were  exposed  to  many  hardships,  the  weather  being  as 
changeable  as  off*  Cape  Horn.  At  times  the  winds  were 
cold  and  boisterous,  and  the  thermometer  often  dropped 
to  eighteen  below.  The  pelting  rain,  the  driving  snow- 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


221 


storms,  and  the  furious  blasts,  laden  with  hail  and  sleet, 
would  come  howling  and  whistling  over  the  frightful 
chasms  and  craggy  peaks  so  suddenly  and  with  such 
force  that  it  reminded  us  of  our  sojourn  in  the  frozen 
regions  of  the  Antarctic.  Jack  before  the  mast  did  not 
expect  to  fall  in  with  such  weather  within  the  tropics. 

It  was  interesting  to  watch  the  various  movements  of 
the  clouds  floating  below  us,  with  the  horizon  above 
them.  At  times  they  would  be  seen,  as  it  were,  resting 
on  the  sides  of  the  mountain,  some  looking  a dark  indigo 
color,  others  white  as  the  purest  snow,  others  resembling 
huge  bunches  of  fleecy  wool,  while  the  sky  above  was 
of  the  deepest  blue.  Some,  floating  by,  would  graze 
the  base  of  the  mountain  and  leave  traces  of  snow. 
The  stars  looked  very  near  and  large.  As  the  sun  arose 
it  seemed  as  if  it  were  rolling  over  towards  us. 

This  night  was  like  most  of  the  nights  we  experienced 
while  on  the  mountain,  very  stormy  and  cold,  the  tem- 
perature being  down  to  sixteen  below.  I will  not  say 
that  I never  saw  it  blow  so  hard,  but  I never  saw  it  blow 
any  harder.  For  fear  of  some  damage  to  the  instru- 
ments we  were  ordered  to  turn  out  and  take  them  down. 
We  had  no  sooner  got  them  stowed  away  snug  in  their 
cases  than  our  camp  was  struck  by  a terrific  hurricane 
which  raised  the  roof  of  the  pendulum  house  high  into 
the  air  and  scattered  its  fragments  on  the  sides  of  the 
mountain.  The  other  house  was  demolished  and  several 
valuable  instruments  badly  injured.  Pieces  of  canvas 
from  our  tents,  spread  out  as  big  as  table-cloths,  might 
be  seen  floating  in  the  air.  The  wind  was  so  violent  that 
it  was  impossible  to  keep  our  footing,  so  we  laid  down 


222 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


and  clung  closely  to  the  side  of  the  mountain.  Amidst 
all  this  Jack  had  his  jokes,  you  may  be  sure.  You  might 
hear  one  sing  out,  I say,  old  gruffy,  my  lad,  did  you 
ever  fall  in  with  anything  like  this  off  Cape  Cod?” 

No,  my  hearty,  it  even  beats  Cape  Horn.”  Another 
would  shout,  I’ve  seen  it  blowing  like  blue  blazes,  but 
this  is  a regular  old  blow- hard,  hard  enough  to  blow 
Yankee  Doodle  on  a frying-pan.” 

Silence  fore  and  aft  ! ” sings  out  old  Tom  Finer, 

you  never  knew  anything  about  its  blowing  above  the 
mast-heads.  Just  heave  to  until  all  hands  are  called  up 
higher ; then  you  will  find  that  you  cannot  weather  the 
gale  even  by  lying  down  to  it.” 

At  two  o’clock  the  gale  abated  ; at  daylight  everything 
was  as  serene  as  a morning  in  the  tropics. 

At  sunrise  we  were  astonished  to  behold  the  Star 
Spangled  Banner  still  proudly  waving  far  above  this  scene 
of  desolation,  on  the  brim  of  one  of  the  craters. 

I feel  proud  to  know  that  my  country’s  flag,  the  broad 
stripes  and  bright  stars,  has  been  borne  by  brave  men, 
north,  south,  east,  and  west,  and  waved  to  the  breeze  in 
as  high  an  altitude  as  the  flag  of  any  other  nation. 

The  words,  Pendulum  Peak,  January,  1841,  U.  S. 
Ex.  Ex.,”  having  been  cut  in  the  lava  within  our  village, 
we  picked  up  the  remnants  of  the  camp,  and  were  all 
glad  to  bid  adieu  to  the  bleak  and  dreary  summit  of 
Mauna  Loa. 

^ On  our  return  we  made  the  first  station  about  eleven 
o’clock,  when  we  spliced  the  mainbrace  ” for  the  first 
time  since  we  had  left  the  ship.  At  noon  we  dined  on  a 
good  hot  soup,  and  after  a short  rest  went  on  our  way 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


22^ 


rejoicing,  fetching  up  at  Sunday  Station,  at  six  o’clock, 
with  aching  limbs,  scarcely  able  to  drag  one  foot  after 
the  other.  After  a slight  repast  we  made  for  one  of  the 
caves  and  turned  in.  After  breakfast  the  next  morning 
we  resumed  our  journey. 

We  were  so  stiff  as  scarcely  to  be  able  to  move,  but 
felt  better  as  we  proceeded.  We  arrived  at  the  volcanic 


CAMP  ON  PENDULUM  PEAK. 


crater  Kilauea  about  four  o’clock,  and  there  found  sum- 
mer weather. 

Cheered  by  the  natives  and  their  hangers-on,  all  of  us 
went  through  the  process  of  the  Ioo7ni  loomi^  a knead- 
ing operation  somewhat  like  shampooing,  which  is  per- 
formed by  the  natives.  It  relaxes  the  muscles  and  joints, 
and  after  undergoing  the  operation  I think  that  I felt  as 
young  as  I used  to  be. 

After  an  excellent  supper  we  soon  rolled  ourselves  up 
in  our  blankets,  lay  on  the  dried  grass,  and  fell  asleep. 


224 


Twenty  Yea^s  Before  the  Mast. 


The  next  morning  it  seemed  as  if  all  nature  were  alive ; 
the  waving  of  the  green  foliage,  the  singing  of  the  birds, 
the  cheerful  voices  of  the  natives,  gave  everything  the  air 
of  summer.  Here  we  made  a stop  of  four  days,  during 
which  time  a complete  survey  of  the  crater  and  sur- 
rounding country  was  made. 

The  sea  of  fire  at  the  bottom  of  the  crater  appeared 
to  be  larger  and  in  greater  agitation  than  at  our  former 
visit.  While  a party  of  us  were  viewing  it  one  night,  it 
boiled  up,  and  the  red,  molten  lava  ran  in  streams  over 
the  dark  bottom  of  the  crater  in  all  directions. 

The  big  cloud  that  hangs  over  this  volcano  is,  at  night, 
a cloud  of  fire,  which  can  be  seen  by  mariners  at  a dis- 
tance of  seventy  or  eighty  miles  out  to  sea.  In  the  day- 
time it  is  of  a silvery  hue,  with  burnished  edges.  Under 
some  of  the  lava  clinkers  we  found  sulphur  and  beautiful 
white  magnesite.  We  also  found  what  is  called  Pele’s 
hair  in  the  crevices  of  the  lava.  This  is  a glossy  material, 
resembling  loose  tufts  of  tow.  The  ground  on  the  lee- 
side  of  the  crater  seemed,  in  places,  to  be  covered  with 
it,  as  with  patches  of  golden  cobwebs. 

Bidding  the  fiery  crater  of  Kilauea  and  Madame  Pele 
a final  adieu,  we  steered  for  the  ship.  It  being  fair 
weather  and  easy  traveling,  we  were  soon  aboard  ship, 
glad  to  stand  once  more  on  the  decks  of  our  own  swift- 
gliding craft. 

We  had  been  absent  from  the  ship  just  forty-two 
days.  We  found  all  our  shipmates  well,  and  very  glad  to 
see  us  back  again.  The  next  day  the  pendulum  was  put 
up  on  shore,  but  it  would  not  work.  It  would  stop  every 
few  minutes.  The  cause  was  found  to  be  the  jarring  of 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


22^ 


the  island  by  the  heavy  rolling  of  the  surf  upon  the 
beach. 

About  one-third  of  the  distance  from  the  shore  to  the 
ship  we  discovered  a spring.  We  pulled  out  to  it  and 
found  that  the  water  was  fresh  and  boiling  hot. 

While  here  at  this  island  we  visited  Kealakeakua  Bay, 
the  place  where  Captain  Cook  was  massacred.  His 
monument  was  the  stump  of  a cocoanut  tree,  on  which 
was  a sheet  of  copper  with  the  following  inscription : 

Near  this  spot  fell 
Captain  James  Cook,  r.  n. 

The  renowned  circumnavigator, 

Who  discovered  these  islands,  a.  d.  1778. 

His  Majesty’s  ship  Imogene, 

October  17TH,  1837. 

This  sheet  of  copper  and  cap  put  on  by  Sparrowhawk, 
September  13th,  1839, 

In  order  to  preserve  this  monument  to  the  memory  of  Cook. 
Give  this  a coat  of  tai\ 

Formerly  the  natives  were  very  superstitious,  and  they 
sacrificed  a great  deal  to  the  gods.  They  would  visit  the 
crater  of  Kilauea  and  throw  in  rolls  of  tapa^  hogs,  both 
cooked  and  alive,  bunches  of  bananas,  and  cocoanuts,  as 
offerings  to  the  goddess  Pele. 

The  evening  before  we  left  the  volcano,  one  of  the 
natives  was  caught  in  the  act  of  throwing  a calabash  of 
poe  into  the  volcano  as  an  offering  to  the  dread  goddess. 
He  was  ever  after  called  by  his  Christian  countrymen  a 

backslider.’’ 


226 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


Kapiolani  lived  in  this  village/  She  was  the  woman  who 
ate  berries  which  were  sacred  to  Pele,  and  even  stood  on 
the  brink  of  the  crater,  before  her  people,  and  threw 
stones  in  at  the  goddess.  Addressing  her  people  she 
said  : 

‘^Jehovah  is  my  God  ; he  kindled  these  fires.  I fear 
not  Pele.  Should  I perish  by  her  anger,  then  you  may 


HAWAIIAN  TEMPLES  AND  GODS. 


fear  her  power;  but  if  Jehovah  saves  me  when  breaking 
her  tabus ^ then  must  you  fear  and  serve  Jehovah.  The 
gods  of  Hawaii  are  vain.  Great  is  the  goodness  of 
Jehovah  in  sending  missipnaries  to  turn  us  from  these 
vanities  to  the  living  God.” 

The  people,  seeing  that  the  power  of  Pele  was  broken, 
and  that  the  tabus  of  the  goddess  were  vain,  returned  to 
the  village  with  their  leader.  Kapiolani  was  truly  a 
genuine  heroine. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


After  completing  the  researches  and  observations  of 
this  island,  we  got  under  way  and  stood  to  sea,  bound  to 
Lahaina,  island  of  Maui,  the  residence  of  the  king,  who 
was  a natural  son  of  Kamehameha  I.  The  wind,  during 
the  day,  was  light,  and  we  made  slow  progress ; but  as 
evening  advanced,  we  took  a light  sea-breeze  from  the 
southwest,  which  soon  wafted  us  to  an  anchorage  in 
Lahaina  Road,  abreast  the  king’s  palace. 

The  next  day  we  had  a visit  from  the  royal  family. 
There  was  a great  display  of  epaulettes,  gold  lace,  swords, 
and  cocked  hats.  The  king  was  a portly  young  man, 
between  twenty  and  thirty  years  of  age,  and  of  a com- 
manding figure.  He  was  very  richly  dressed,  being 
nearly  covered  with  gold  lace.  He  was  received  on 
board  by  the  yard  being  manned,  our  marine  corps 
parading  on  the  quarter-deck,  presenting  arms,  and  our 
ship’s  band,  consisting  of  drum  and  fife,  playing  Hail 
to  the  Chief.”  He  was  soon  conducted  to  different 
parts  of  the  ship,  accompanied  by  Captain  Wilkes  and 
other  officers.  The  berth  deck  was  lighted  fore  and  aft, 
all  the  pots  and  pans,  and  the  tinware  of  the  messes,  as 
well  as  the  hoops  on  the  kids,  were  burnished,  and  dis- 
played in  front  of  the  mess  chests,  and  the  rooms  of  the 


228  Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 

forward  officers  were  brilliantly  illuminated.  The  whole 
display  was,  no  doubt,  very  interesting  to  the  native  king 
and  his  family. 

After  a sumptuous  dinner,  which  was  specially  pre- 
pared for  the  occasion,  and  served  in  the  cabin,  the  king 
and  his  suite  left  the  ship.  As  they  took  their  departure 
the  yards  were  manned,  the  marines  presented  arms,  and 
three  cheers  were  given  the  king  by  all  hands.  He 
acknowledged  the  compliment  by  waving  his  cocked 
hat.  A few  days  later  they  again  dined  on  board  our 
ship,  this  time  in  the  ward-room.  It  was  said  that  the 
king  liked  wine  and  spirits,  and  made  free  use  of  them, 
but  on  both  of  these  occasions  he  drank  very  sparingly. 
Mrs.  Kekauluohi,  the  king’s  wife,  was  a very  portly 
woman,  and  was  said  to  be  the  handsomest  on  that  group 
of  islands.  She  always  looked  smiling  and  happy. 

While  prospecting  in  the  interior  of  this  island,  we 
came  across  a mound  of  human  bones,  a perfect  Gol- 
gotha. It  was  one  of  their  burying-places  after  a battle, 
for  the  place  where  the  bones  were  found  was  known  to 
be  one  of  their  old  battle-grounds.  Some  of  the  skele- 
tons were  in  a perfect  state  of  preservation. 

Lahaina  was  the  headquarters  of  the  missionaries,  and 
also  a great  resort  for  our  whalers  to  wood  and  water 
ship.  There  were  no  grog-shops  in  this  place,  and  the 
captains  knew  it.  For  quiet  on  the  Sabbath  it  would 
shame  many  a New  England  village.  No  natives  were 
astir  until  meeting-time,  and  then  they  might  be  seen 
only  as  they  passed  quietly  to  and  from  church. 

After  surveying  Maui  and  several  other  islands,  we  got 
under  way  and  stood  for  Oahu,  where  we  arrived  on  the 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


22g 


19th  of  March.  There  we  completed  our  repairs,  and 
on  April  5 th  set  out  for  the  Columbia  River,  north- 
west coast  of  North  America.  By  the  way,  while  in 
Oahu  we  heard  of  the  dispute,  between  Old  Mother 
England  and  Brother  Jonathan,  about  the  northwest 
boundary  line. 

For  several  days  and  nights  a very  bright  lookout  was 
kept  for  land,  said  by  whalers  to  exist  in  this  quarter, 
26°  north  latitude.  We  saw  nothing,  however,  that 
looked  like  land,  though  islands  might  once  have  existed 
there  and  sunk.  We  saw  myriads  of  birds  which  are 
found  only  in  the  vicinity  of  land ; among  them  were 
many  small  birds  and  quantities  of  villula,  which  gave 
the  ocean  the  appearance  of  being  covered  with  floating 
cinders. 

The  commodore  was  a great  disciplinarian  and  always 
kept  all  hands  at  work  when  there  was  nothing  to  do. 
When  the  weather  permitted  he  would  have  the  quarters’ 
beat  take  charge  of  the  quarter-deck,  and  would  sing  out 
through  his  speaking-trumpet,  Silence  fore  and  aft,  wet 
and  sand  the  decks,  knock  out  your  ports,  take  off  your 
muzzle-bags,  withdraw  your  tompions  and  cast  loose  your 
guns.”  Then  the  captain  of  the  gun  (one  of  the  crew) 
would  take  charge  and  say,  Chock  your  luff,  stop,  vent, 
and  sponge  your  guns,  cartridge,  wad  and  ram  home, 
round  shot,  canister  or  stand  of  grape,  wad  ram  home, 
man  side  tackle  falls,  run  out.  Crows  and  hand- spikes, 
elevate  your  guns  for  a long  shot,  two  points  abaft  the 
beam  to  the  enemy,  cock  your  locks,  blow  your  match, 
watch  the  weather-roll,  stand  by,  fire.”  Sometimes,  in 
an  undertone.  Jack  would  add,  A couple  of  round 


2^0 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


shot,  canister,  stand  of  grape,  two  midshipmen  and  a 
master’s  mate,  wad  and  ram  home  the  charge.” 

“ Though  far  from  our  homes,  yet  still  in  our  land 
True  Yankee  enterprise  will  ever  expand 
And  publish  to  all  each  side  of  the  main 
We  triumphed  once  and  can  do  it  again. 

A problem,  a problem,  oh  ! hear,  great  and  small. 

The  true  owners  of  the  country  are  still  on  the  soil, 

While  Jonathan  and  John  Bull  are  growling  together 
For  land  which  by  right  belongs  not  to  either. 

Let  philosophers  listen,  and  solve  the  question 
Which  has  troubled  the  statesmen  of  each  nation, 

By  what  right  Big  Bull  claims  sustenance  here 
While  he  has  plenty  of  pasturage  elsewhere.” 

— By  one  of  the  ere7a. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  28th  we  heard  the  cheer- 
ful cry  of  Land-ho  ! ” It  proved  to  be  Cape  Disap- 
pointment, Columbia  River,  our  own  native  land.  At 
about  nine  o’clock  we  entered  a strong  tide-rip  and 
soon  after  came  within  sight  of  the  Columbia  River.  It 
was  blowing  pretty  fresh,  with  a considerable  sea  on,  and 
heavy  breakers  extended  from  Cape  Disappointment  to 
Point  Adams,  in  one  unbroken  line.  Nothing  could 
exceed  the  grandeur  of  this  scene  when  viewed  from 
aloft.  The  Columbia  is  a thousand  miles  long,  and  has 
its  source  eight  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 

To  view  its  powerful  floods  of  light,  milky  water 
rushing  down  and  contending  with  the  tides  of  the  blue 
water  of  old  ocean  and  see  the  marked  line  of  separation 
between  the  sea  and  the  river  water,  and  a line  of  break- 
ers nearly  seven  miles  long  dashing  its  silvery  spray  high 
in  the  air,  is  a wild  sight.  All  who  have  seen  it  have 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


231 


spoken  of  the  incessant  roar  of  the  waters,  representing 
it  as  one  of  the  most  awful  sights  that  can  possibly  meet 
the  eye  of  the  sailor. 

On  heaving  the  lead  we  found  only  five,  eight,  and 
nine  fathoms  of  water,  where  on  the  chart  it  was  laid 
down  twenty-eight  fathoms.  The  two  quarter  boats 
were  lowered  to  sound  for  the  channel,  at  six  bells,  three 
o’clock ; but  the  wind  beginning  to  freshen  and  the 
weather  to  thicken,  they  were  recalled,  and  we  hauled 
off  with  the  tide,  which  was  running  with  great  rapidity 
and  soon  carried  us  back  into  the  blue  waters  of  the 
ocean. 

During  the  night  the  weather  was  very  boisterous. 
The  following  morning  it  was  quite  foggy.  We  bore 
away  for  the  Straits  of  Juan  de  Fuca,  and  at  eleven 
o’clock  the  man  at  the  mast-head  cried  out,  Breakers 
on  the  lee  bow  ! ” The  ship  was  at  once  brought  by 
the  wind,  the  studding-sails  taken  in,  and  a cast  of  the 
lead  taken,  when  we  found  ourselves  in  five  fathoms  of 
water.  "Bhe  fog  soon  lifted  and  we  saw,  not  half  a mile 
off,  a high  point  of  rocks.  Had  we  continued  on  our 
course  fifteen  minutes  longer  the  ship  must  have  been 
dashed  to  pieces  and  all  hands  sent  to  Davy  Jones’ 
locker. 

This  place  proved  to  be  Point  Grenville,  off  Vancouver 
and  Destruction  Isle.  This  is  one  of  the  hair-breadth 
escapes  from  wreck  incident  to  this  cruise. 

A canoe  soon  came  alongside  with  two  old  Indians, 
who  kept  singing  out,  Sqiiik  quak  nianash,  sqiiik  qiiak 
manash.  Nusk  qiiall^  niisk  quail.  Miso  IVilszon  Mis- 
oly,  Miso  Wilszon  Misoly,  Bosson,  Bosson.  ” Then  they 


2^2 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


would  turn  one  hand  over  the  other  with  great  rapidity. 
Some  time  after  we  found  the  meaning  of  the  first  three 
words  to  be,  Give  us  some  tobacco  ” ; the  next  was 
Nisqually  ” ; the  other  words  meant  a Mr.  Wilson,  a 
missionary  from  Boston.  The  motion  of  the  hands  was 
to  describe  a small  stern- wheel  boat  at  Nisqually,  be- 
longing to  the  Hudson  Bay  Company.  After  giving  the 
Indians  some  tobacco  we  put  to  sea. 

The  morning  of  the  30th  was  still  foggy.  We  saw  a 
great  abundance  of  wild  geese  and  ducks  flying  in  almost 
every  direction  and  appearing  very  tame,  probably  hav- 
ing never  heard  the  report  of  a gun.  We  captured  many 
of  them  with  little  trouble. 

During  the  night,  which  was  very  dark  and  rainy,  the 
ship  was  hove  to,  a cast  of  the  lead  being  taken  every 
fifteen  minutes.  The  morning  of  the  first  of  May 
proved  to  be  fair  and  beautiful.  With  a light  sea-breeze 
we  doubled  Cape  Flattery  and  entered  the  Straits  of 
Juan  de  Fuca.  While  beating  up  the  straits  we  were 
boarded  by  many  canoes.  At  nine  o’clock  on  the  2d  we 
made  Port  Discovery.  We  came  to  anchor  close  in 
shore,  in  twenty  fathoms  of  water.  While  surveying  this 
place  we  came  in  contact  with  many  of  the  Indians,  who, 
in  their  broken  language,  would  ask  if  we  were  Boston 
or  King  George  ships.  There  was  a great  difference 
between  the  islanders  of  the  Pacific  and  these  Indians, 
both  in  language  and  appearance.  They  seemed  to  have 
scarcely  any  idea  of  decency  or  cleanliness,  and  seemed 
to  be  almost  as  low  in  the  scale  of  humanity  as  the 
Terra  del  Fuegians. 

It  was  indeed  amusing  to  observe  the  contempt  that 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


^33 


our  prisoner,  the  Fiji  chief  Vendovi,  entertained  for 
these  Indians.  He  would  hardly  deign  to  look  at  them. 
While  here  we  were  plentifully  supplied  with  venison, 
ducks,  geese,  pork,  salmon,  cod,  flounders,  herring, 
clams,  quahaugs,  mussels,  long  oysters,  and  small  crabs. 

Our  general  orders  at  this  time  were  as  follows  : 


The  undersigned  informs  the  officers  and  crews  under  his 
command  that  the  duties  on  which  they  are  about  to  enter  will 
necessarily  bring  them  in  contact  at  times  with  the  savage  and 
treacherous  inhabitants  of  this  coast,  and  he  therefore  feels  it  his 
duty  to  enjoin  upon  them  the  necessity  of  unceasing  caution  and  a 
restrictive  and  mild  system  in  all  their  intercourse  with  them. 

In  my  general  order  of  July  13,  1839,  my  views  are  expressed 
fully  respecting  our  intercourse  with  savages,  and  I expect  that  the 
injunctions  therein  contained  will  be  strictly  regarded. 

No  officer  or  man  will  be  allowed  to  visit  the  shore  without  arms, 
and  boat’s  crews  when  surveying  or  on  other  duty  will  be  furnished 
with  such  as  are  necessary  for  their  protection. 

Charles  Wilkes, 

Covimanding  U,  S.  Ex.  Ex. 

At  daylight  on  the  morning  of  the  6th  we  got  under 
way  and  proceeded  to  Puget  Sound.  After  having  fin- 
ished our  work  here,  we  commenced  beating  up  the  bay 
for  Nisqually  Bay.  We  arrived  on  the  nth,  at  eight  p.  m., 
dropping  anchor  close  in  shore  in  seven  fathoms  of  water. 
The  Flying  Fish  and  Porpoise  were  also  here,  safely 
moored,  and  with  the  boats  hoisted  out.  We  were  now 
on  our  native  soil,  and,  though  more  than  three  thousand 
miles  away  from  the  place  of  our  birth,  could  not  resist 
the  sensations  kindled  by  the  remembrance  of  home, 
sweet,  sweet  home.” 

On  May  15  th  surveying  parties  were  sent  out  from  the 


234 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


various  ships.  The  Porpoise  was  to  survey  Hood’s 
Canal ; the  boats  of  the  Vincennes  were  to  survey  the 
rivers  and  bays  in  the  vicinity ; a land  party  was  sent  to 


FLAT-HEADED  SQTWW  AND  CHII.D. 


explore  the  interior,  and  another  was  assigned  to  the 
Cascade  Mountains. 

Your  humble  servant  was  left,  with  others,  to  establish 
the  observatory.  This  was  done  near  a brook,  abreast 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast.  2^5 

of  the  ship,  and  within  hail  of  it.  We  built  a log-cabin 
for  a pendulum  house,  to  take  the  place  of  the  old  one 
which  was  scattered  to  the  four  winds  of  heaven  from 
the  summit  of  Mauna  Loa.  It  was  soon  finished,  the 
instruments  set  up,  and  everything  complete. 

The  Indians  at  this  place  belonged  to  the  flat-headed 
tribes.  When  infants  their  heads  are  compressed  by  a 
sort  of  clamp,  which  gives  them  a wedge-shape.  The 
females,  commonly  called  squaws,  were  very  scantily 
attired,  and  were  very  fond  of  ornaments.  A small, 
dirty  bone,  two  or  three  inches  long,  was  stuck  through 
the  cartilage  of  the  nose.  All  the  unmarried  squaws 
wore  small  brass  bells  suspended  around  the  rims  of  the 
ears.  Most  of  the  women  were  bow-legged.  The  men 
were  rather  short  and  thick-set,  with  high  cheek-bones, 
fine  eyes,  set  wide  apart,  and  black  hair,  which  was  worn 
long  and  flowing.  The  countenances  of  both  sexes  wore 
an  expression  of  wildness. 

On  the  banks  of  the  river  is  dug  a kind  of  ochre,  both 
yellow  and  red,  with  which  these  Indians  paint  their 
faces.  Their  language  was  the  strangest  we  had  yet 
heard.  Such  words  as  klick^  kli/ck,  fsk,  sustlki,  and 
squassus,  we  did  not  understand ; but  saantylku  and 
selamp  both  meant  hot,  gathering  brooms,  and  August ; 
skelues  meant  exhausted  salmon,  and  September ; skaai 
meant  dry  moon,  and  October ; kinni-etylyiitin  meant 
house-making,  and  November ; and  kiiinakwala  meant 
snow-moon,  and  December. 

Independence  Day  fell  on  Sunday,  so  we  celebrated 
on  Monday.  We  commenced  at  daybreak  by  firing  a 
national  salute  of  twenty-six  guns,  one  for  each  State  in 


2^6 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


the  Union,  two  brass  howitzers  having  been  brought  on 
shore  to  the  observatory  for  the  purpose.  The  reports 
of  the  guns  not  only  astonished  the  natives,  but  waked 
up  the  red-coats  in  the  fort,  who  came  running  up  to 
the  observatory  with  the  Indians,  nearly  out  of  breath, 
to  inquire  the  cause  of  the  racket.  We  pointed  them 
to  our  country’s  flag,  which  was  so  proudly  waving  in 
the  breeze  over  our  observ^atory.  They  looked  thunder- 
struck, and  wanted  to  know  what  we  meant.  We  told 
them  that  it  was  Brother  Jonathan’s  birthday.  They 
then  called  us  a crew  of  crazy  Americans. 

At  two  bells,  nine  o’clock,  all  hands,  including  the 
officers,  with  the  exception  of  Mr.  Vanderford,  our  mas- 
ter’s mate,  who  remained  as  ship-keeper,  went  on  shore. 
At  the  observatory  the  commodore  formed  us  into  a 
procession.  The  starboard  watch  took  the  lead,  then 
came  the  Vi/iee/ines’  band,  fife  and  drum,  then  the  mas- 
ter-at-arms with  Chief  Vendovi  dressed  in  the  Fiji  fash- 
ion, and  leading  our  ship’s  pet,  the  dog  Sydney,  by  two 
fathoms  of  marling  ; then  the  larboard  watch,  and  finally 
the  marines.  We  were  all  dressed  in  span-clean  white 
frocks  and  trousers.  The  commodore  led  the  proces- 
sion, followed  by  the  other  officers,  and  we  all  marched 
off,  with  colors  flying  and  music  playing.  In  passing 
Fort  Nisqually  we  gave  three  tremendous  cheers,  which 
were  returned  very  faintly  from  the  ramparts  by  several 
red-coats. 

We  soon  arrived  at  a clearing  near  the  edge  of  the 
prairie,  a spot  which  the  commodore  had  chosen  for  the 
Fourth  of  July  exhibition.  Here  we  found  an  ox  which 
had  been  slaughtered  and  dressed  on  the  preceding  Sat- 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast.  257 

urday.  We  ran  a pole  through  the  ox  from  end  to  end, 
and  then  placed  the  ends  of  this  pole  upon  two  forked 
tree-trunks  which  had  been  securely  planted  in  the  earth. 
A trench  was  dug  under  him  in  which  a fire  was  built, 
and  a windlass  arranged  with  which  to  turn  him  at  inter- 


CELEBRATION  OF  THE  FOURTH  OF  JULY. 

vals,  while  a committee  detailed  from  the  crew  dredged 
him  with  flour  and  basted  him  every  hour. 

At  ten  o’clock  all  hands  were  called  to  ‘‘splice  the 
mainbrace.”  Not  a man  being  sick,  all  indulged.  After 
this  the  commodore  ordered  the  starboard  watch  on  the 
right  and  the  larboard  on  the  left,  and  then  he  produced 
a foot-ball,  gave  it  a tremendous  kick  which  sent  it  high 


2^5 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


into  the  air,  and  sang  out,  Sail  in,  my  shipmates  ! ” We 
did  sail  in.  With  others  I got  my  shins  barked  from  my 
ankles  to  my  knees,  but  never  got  so  much  as  a kick  at 
the  ball. 

At  eight  bells,  noon,  the  grog  was  rolled  and  all  hands 
piped  to  dinner.  When  we  repaired  to  the  barbecue 
the  Indians  had  gathered  in  large  numbers,  looking 
silently  but  wistfully  at  the  novel  sight  before  them. 
The  ox  proved  to  be  as  tender  as  a lamb. 

In  firing  the  salute  at  midday,  Daniel  Whitehorn,  one 
of  our  quarter-gunners,  ramming  home  a charge,  had  his 
arm  dreadfully  lacerated  by  the  unexpected  discharge  of 
the  gun.  This  accident  put  a momentary  stop  to  our 
hilarity.  His  messmates  took  him  in  charge  and  soothed 
his  wounds.  Jack  before  the  mast  is  familiar  with  such 
scenes  as  this.  A shipmate  falling  from  aloft,  thrown 
from  a yard,  getting  washed  overboard  in  a gale,  getting 
tied  up  to  the  rigging  or  his  back  lacerated  with  the 
cats,  getting  knocked  down  with  a hand-spike  by  the 
captain  or  one  of  his  mates, — witnessing  such  scenes  it 
becomes  his  nature  to  weep  with  them  that  weep  and 
to  rejoice  with  them  that  rejoice. 

After  dinner  the  amusements  proceeded,  but  not  with 
the  mirth  of  the  morning,  for  the  accident  threw  a gloom 
over  all  hands.  Some  ball  and  card  playing,  chatting 
with  the  Indians,  and  taking  a cruise  into  the  woods 
wound  up  the  day.  At  night  all  hands  returned  on 
board  excepting  two,  who  had  become  lost  in  the  woods. 
They  were  found  three  days  afterward  by  the  Indians, 
more  dead  than  alive.  They  were  nicknamed  the 
Babes  in  the  Wood.” 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


239 


The  next  day  the  surveying  parties  were  sent  to  survey 
Puget  Sound.  The  scenery  from  the  observatory  was 
grand.  In  the  distance,  far  beyond  the  prairie,  might  be 
seen  the  snow-capped  summits  of  Mount  Hood,  Mount 
St.  Helen’s,  and  Mount  Ranier.  They  are  beautiful  to 
view  at  sunrise  and  at  sunset.  The  woods  were  very 
thick,  the  trees  large  and  close.  Wolves  were  very 
numerous,  and  also  foxes.  Deer  and  bears  were  com- 
mon, but  not  so  much  so  as  the  treacherous  wolves. 
Birds  of  all  kinds  were  plenty,  especially  wild  ducks  and 
geese,  which  appeared  very  tame.  While  here  we  saw 
many  of  the  Crows,  Shoshones,  Apaches,  and  Blackfeet 
Indians. 

The  survey  of  Puget  Sound  having  been  completed, 
the  observatory  was  broken  up,  the  instruments  taken 
down,  packed,  and  sent  aboard  ship. 

On  the  morning  of  the  1 7th  we  weighed  anchor  and 
took  our  departure  for  Point  Dungeness,  arriving  there 
on  the  2 2d.  The  boats  were  immediately  sent  away  on 
surveying  duty.  Here  another  accident  happened. 
Samuel  Williams,  gunner’s  mate,  was  firing  a four- 
pounder  for  the  purpose  of  measuring  base  by  sound, 
when,  as  he  was  priming  from  a well-filled  powder-horn, 
a terrific  explosion  took  place,  sending  him  with  much 
force  to  the  other  side  of  the  deck.  His  hand,  arms, 
and  face  were  much  burned,  but  no  bones  were  broken. 
On  coming  to,  he  wanted  to  know  if  the  powder-horn 
had  busted.”  He  was  soon  taken  below  and  cared  for. 

We  had  scarcely  dropped  our  anchor  ere  we  were 
surrounded  by  many  canoes  bringing  salmon,  codfish, 
venison,  and  bear  meat  for  sale. 


240 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


On  the  28th  we  got  under  way  again  and  stood  down 
the  straits.  When  off  Cape  Flattery,  the  wind  being 
ahead,  we  put  into  Neah  Harbor.  It  is  the  first  in  the 
straits  after  rounding  the  cape,  and  is  sheltered  on  the 
northeast  by  Neah  Island.  While  surveying  this  harbor 
the  ship  was  fairly  surrounded  by  canoes.  A vigilant 
watch  was  kept  on  them,  and  only  a few  Indians  were 
allowed  on  board  at  a time. 

There  were  two  tribes,  the  Classet  and  Patouche. 
They  brought  many  fine  furs,  seal  and  sea-otter  skins,  to 
trade,  and  were  taken  all  aback  when  they  found  that 
we  were  not  eager  to  make  a bargain.  The  furs  were 
cheap  enough,  but  we  did  not  want  them.  They  offered 
us  two  or  three  fine  fur-seal  skins  for  a pound  of  tobacco, 
a pound  of  powder,  or  fifty  leaden  bullets.  A bottle  of 
New  England  rum  would  fetch  half  a dozen  of  the 
finest  furs.  This  showed  what  sort  of  trade  was  carried 
on  when  the  Boston  ships  traded  on  this  coast  for  furs 
and  salmon.  They  would  keep  asking,  What  for  so 
big  ship?  What  for  so  many  mans?  and  no  trade  for 
furs  for  a lite  rumie?  ” 

This  would  be  a good  field  for  a missionary,  for  these 
Indians  appear  to  be  quite  ignorant  of  any  religious 
notions. 

On  the  I St  of  August  we  witnessed  a beautiful  eclipse 
of  the  moon.  We  found  the  Indians  very  numerous  in 
the  woods,  wearing  nothing  but  old  dirty  blankets.  The 
men  were  very  short  and  had  extremely  broad  faces, 
which  were  besmeared  with  salmon  oil,  soot,  and  red 
ochre.  The  inside  of  their  wigwams  was  very  filthy. 
The  squaws  of  the  Classet  tribe  were  much  better  looking 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


241 


and  more  lady-like  than  those  of  other  tribes.  Their 
hair,  which  was  jet  black  and  very  long,  hung  loosely 
about  their  shoulders,  and  most  of  them  had  fair  com- 
plexions and  rosy  cheeks. 

On  the  3d  a carrier  arrived  from  Nisqually,  bring- 


LOSS  OF  THE  PEACOCK. 


ing  news  of  the  loss  of  the  Peacock  on  the  bar  of  the 
Columbia. 

We  soon  weighed  anchor  and  put  to  sea.  The 
weather  for  several  days  had  been  cold  and  foggy.  We 
ran  down  the  coast  in  eighty  and  ninety  fathoms  of 
water.  At  daylight,  on  the  6th,  we  made  Cape  Disap- 
pointment, Columbia  River,  and  soon  after  sunrise  came 
up  with  the  cape  and  fired  several  guns.  Shortly  after, 
the  Flying  Fish  hove  in  sight,  coming  down  the  Colum- 
bia. About  nine  o’clock  the  Flying  Fish  came  alongside, 
when  Captain  Hudson  came  on  board  and  informed 
Commodore  Wilkes  of  the  total  wreck  of  his  ship,  the 
Peacock^  on  the  bar  of  the  Columbia;  After  the  ship 


24^ 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


struck,  everything  that  skill  and  seamanship  could  devise 
was  resorted  to  in  order  to  save  her,  but  all  to  no  avail. 

In  leaving  the  ship  some  of  the  boats  were  turned  end 
over  end,  but  other  boats,  being  near  at  hand,  rescued 
their  crews.  The  ship  soon  went  to  pieces  and  every- 
thing was  lost.  But,  happily,  the  crew  was  saved. 

They  stated  that  Captain  Hudson  was  the  last  man  to 
leave  the  ship,  and  that  the  coolness  and  calmness 
displayed  by  him  during  the  wreck  had  secured  the 
admiration  of  all  hands. 

The  commodore,  fearing  to  attempt  crossing  the  bar 
in  his  own  ship,  the  Vincennes^  two  days  afterward  trans- 
ferred his  broad  pennant  to  the  brig  Pof'poise^  and  with 
the  schooner,  and  boats  of  the  Peacock,  remained  here 
to  survey  the  Columbia  River  and  its  bar,  while  Captain 
Ringgold  proceeded  in  the  Vincennes  to  San  Francisco 
with  a part  of  the  Peacock's  crew  on  board. 

So  we  soon  squared  away  and  stood  to  sea.  On  the 
1 2 th  we  approached  the  shore  and  took  a look  at  the 
land  about  Cape  Blanco.  The  coast  everywhere  pre- 
sented a dreary  prospect.  On  the  14th  we  made  Port  San 
Francisco  and  ran  in.  We  crossed  the  bar  in  five 
fathoms  of  water,  and  having  a fair  wind  proceeded  up 
the  bay  and  anchored  off  Yerba  Buena,  a small  Spanish 
settlement.  Several  vessels  were  lying  at  anchor  here, 
among  them  were  two  American  ships  and  a brig.  We 
were  soon  boarded  by  Captain  Phelps  of  the  ship  Alert 
of  Boston,  who  informed  us  of  the  death  of  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  Wm.  H.  Harrison. 

On  the  17th  we  up  anchor  again  and  stood  over  to 
Sansalito,  or  Whaler’s  Bay,  not  far  from  Captain  Suter’s 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast.  24^ 


fort.  Here,  as  at  other  places,  land  and  boat  expedi- 
tions were  fitted  out  for  survey  and  research.  While 
surveying  the  Sacramento,  Feather,  and  other  rivers,  it 
was  a beautiful  sight  to  see  the  elks  and  deer  coming 
down  from  the  mountains  to  the  riv^er  to  drink.  The 
kiotes,  or  dog-wolves,  were  also  very  numerous.  We 
used  to  build  fires  around  the  camps  to  keep  them  away  ; 
but  they  would  come,  and  that  in  droves,  and  stand 
howling,  yelling,  and  barking  at  us.  It  was  enough  to 
frighten  a tribe  of  Indians.  A few  shots,  however,  from 
our  guns  and  they  skedaddled  into  the  woods. 

Grizzly  bears  were  also  very  plenty.  The  little  cubs 
were  very  cunning  and  playful  as  kittens.  One  must  be 
careful  not  to  hurt  them,  if  he  does  he  may  expect  a 
tight  hug  from  the  mother. 

We  penetrated  up  the  Sacramento  as  far  as  we  could 
in  the  launch.  The  peak  of  Shasta  is  magnificent  to 
view  from  here,  rising  as  it  does  to  a lofty  height,  its 
steep  sides  emerging  from  the  mist  which  envelops  its 
base  and  seems  to  throw  it  off  to  a great  distance.  It  is 
at  times  an  active  volcano. 

One  day  we  witnessed  the  funeral  of  one  of  the  Shasta 
Indians.  Some  wood  was  gathered,  a fire  built,  and  the 
dead  body  laid  thereon.  Then  the  Indians,  dressed 
in  blankets,  with  their  faces  painted,  and  their  long,  jet- 
black  hair  streaming  in  the  air,  danced,  sang,  wailed, 
and  made  all  kinds  of  hideous  noises,  and  waved  their 
blankets  in  the  air,  in  order  to  drive  away  all  evil  spirits. 
They  believe  that  when  the  body  is  entirely  burned  up, 
and  the  heart  consumed,  that  the  spirit  has  flown  to  the 
far-off  hunting  ground,  there  to  enjoy  everlasting  peace. 


244 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


Our  botanist,  Dr.  Pickering,  while  digging  up  a rare 
plant,  felt  something  brush  against  him  behind.  Turn- 
ing around  he  saw,  sitting  on  his  hind  legs  watching  him, 
a large  grizzly  bear ; feeling  a peculiar  sensation  coming 
over  him,  he  pretended  not  to  notice  his  bearship,  who 
still  sat  there  watching  his  every  movement.  Finally, 
the  bear’s  patience  gave  out,  and  he  walked  leisurely  off, 
to  the  great  relief  of  the  doctor. 

Having  finished  our  work  up  here,  we  returned  to  the 
ship,  where  we  found  the  brig  Po7'poise^  schooner  Flying 
Fish,  and  the  brig  Oregon,  late  the  Thomas  Perkins,  She 
was  purchased  by  Commodore  Wilkes,  at  Columbia 
River,  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  home  the  officers  and 
crew  of  the  Peacock,  While  here,  we  lived  on  bear 
meat,  wild  game,  fresh  fish,  and  a thin  cake  made  of 
coarse  Indian  meal,  baked  on  a piece  of  sheet  iron. 
Vegetables  were  scarce,  the  Spaniards  being  as  lazy  as 
the  Indians,  and  neither  troubled  themselves  about  rais- 
ing any. 

Some  of  these  Spanish  families  were  very  large,  fifteen 
to  twenty  odd.  Did  it  ever  enter  your  mind  how  nice  it 
would  be  to  have  twenty  sisters,  or  ten  sisters  and  ten 
brothers  ? They  learn  to  ride  as  early  as  the  Sandwich 
Islanders  learn  to  swim.  Large  numbers  die  from  falls 
from  the  horses.  They  are  generally  robust,  and  left 
to  take  care  of  themselves,  and  run  about  naked  and 
dirty. 

Both  sexes  were  equally  fond  of  gambling,  horse- 
racing, cock-fighting,  bull  and  bear  baiting,  and  dancing, 
which  almost  always  ended  in  a row,  especially  at  their 
weddings. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


^45 


Before  we  left  here,  we  had  a circus  on  board.  By 
invitation  of  the  ward-room  officer,  a large  number  of 
Spanish  ladies  visited  the  ship.  The  quarter-deck  was 
decorated  with  the  flags  of  almost  all  nations.  There 
were  many  dances  danced,  among  which  were  the  Span- 
ish fandango,  the  love,  courtship,  marriage,  and  bull- 
bait  dances,  all  of  which  were  most  gracefully  executed. 
Both  ladies  and  gentlemen  seemed  to  enjoy  the  dances ; 
also  the  wine,  which  was  flowing  about  pretty  freely. 
The  music  from  the  guitars  was  so  inspiring  that  we  on 
the  forecastle  put  in  several  fore-and-afters,  all-fours, 
break-downs,  and  sailors’  hornpipes.  Late  at  night,  both 
men  and  women  retired  to  the  shore,  with  a good  freight 
of  wine  on  board. 

All  the  surveying  parties  having  returned,  the  obser- 
vatory was  taken  down,  and  all  the  instruments  carried 
on  board  ship,  the  boats  were  hoisted  in,  and  everything 
was  stowed  snugly  away. 

On  the  I St  of  November  signals  were  made  to  get 
under  way,  when  we  weighed  anchor  and  stood  out  of 
the  harbor,  with  the  two  brigs  and  the  schooner.  At 
sundown,  the  wind  dying  away  and  a strong  tide  set- 
ting against  us,  and  the  weather  becoming  foggy,  we 
came  to  anchor  in  seven  fathoms  of  water.  Signal  was 
made  to  the  other  vessels,  which  were  a mile  ahead  of 
us,  to  anchor.  It  was  calm  at  the  time,  and  the  bay  was 
as  smooth  as  a mill-pond,  while  not  a breath  of  air  was 
stirring.  At  four  bells,  ten  o’clock,  all  hands  turned  in 
except  the  first  part  of  the  starboard  watch.  About 
eleven  o’clock,  the  sea  swell  suddenly  set  in,  and  all 
hands  were  called  on  deck.  By  midnight  the  swell  had 


246 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


so  increased  as  to  cause  apprehensions  of  great  danger. 
By  three  o’clock  the  old  ship  might  be  said  to  be  riding 
in  breakers  of  gigantic  size.  The  estimated  height  of 
these  breakers  was  over  thirty  odd  feet.  At  eight  bells, 
four  o’clock,  one  of  these  huge  breakers  struck  the  ship 
broad  on  the  larboard  bow  with  such  force  as  to  sweep 


THE  VINCENNES  ON  THE  BAR. 


the  spar  deck  fore  and  aft.  The  boats  and  booms  were 
broken  adrift,  the  boats  stove  in,  and  the  spars  and  every 
other  movable  thing  were  washed  from  one  side  of  the 
deck  to  the  other. 

One  of  the  marines,  Joseph  Allshouse,  was  struck  by 
a spar,  and  died  in  a few  hours.  By  eight  o’clock  the 
swell  abated  and  the  rollers  ceased  to  break.  A light 
breeze  sprung  up,  when  we  got  under  way  and  stood  for 
the  Bay  of  Monterey.  At  two  o’clock  all  hands  were 
called  to  bury  the  dead.  The  body  was  carried  to  the 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast 


H7 


lee  gangway,  wrapped  in  an  American  flag,  while  the  bier 
was  a rough  plank.  The  funeral  services  were  conducted 
by  Captain  Hudson.  A deathlike  stillness  pervaded  the 
ship.  At  the  words,  '' We  commit  his  body  to  the 
deep,”  a plunge  was  heard,  and  a momentary  melan- 
choly seemed  to  impress  the  minds  of  all  hands.  Three 
volleys  were  fired  over  the  lonely  ocean  grave,  and  the 
boatswain^s  call  announced  that  all  was  over.  The  yards 
were  braced,  and  we  kept  on  our  course. 


EATING  POE. 


Early  the  next  morning  we  made  Monterey  Bay.  The 
Porpoise  was  sent  in  with  the  letter-bag  and  we  then 
directed  our  course  for  the  Sandwich  Islands.  On  the 
1 8th  we  came  to  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Honolulu. 
While  here,  we  had  one  day’s  liberty  on  shore.  The 
natives  were  highly  delighted  at  our  return.  While  on 
shore  the  boys,  Kinney,  Roberts,  and  myself,  took  a 
cruise  out  to  the  Punch  Bowl,”  where  we  dined  with 
one  of  the  chiefs  and  his  family.  The  dinner  consisted 
of  half-cooked  fish  and  poe.  The  latter  was  made  from 


248 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


the  taro,  a vegetable  root,  ground  into  a sort  of  paste. 
They  ate  it  by  thrusting  their  fingers  into  the  calabash 
containing  it  and  carrying  quite  a quantity  to  the  mouth. 
When  the  paste  was  as  thick  as  baker’s  sugar  molasses 
they  used  but  one  finger.  Then  it  was  7'7id  (very 
good) . When  thin  they  used  four  fingers.  Then  it  was 
oii7^a  77iiti  (very  bad) . 

Baked  dogs,  rats,  and  mice  were  once  considered 
dainty  dishes  by  the  natives,  but  of  late  years  they  have 
not  been  regarded  as  luxuries. 

Yankee  Jim,  Johnny  Smith,  and  other  sailors’  board- 
ing-house keepers,  and  land-sharks  and  land-lubbers 
were  fairly  overjoyed  at  our  return,  and  received  us 
with  open  arms.  We  had  not  forgotten  their  tokens  of 
kindness  on  a previous  visit,  when  we  were  their  guests 
for  two  weeks,  and  nearly  every  man  before  the  mast 
with  a hundred  dollars  in  his  locker.  A week  had  not 
elapsed  before  our  pretended  friends,  the  land-sharks, 
had  stripped  us  of  nearly  every  dollar,  and  all  that  we 
had  received  in  return  was  some  scanty  meals  and 
oceans  of  grog. 

They  were  just  like  sailors’  boarding-house  keepers  all 
over  the  world.  They  appeared  to  be  very  kind-hearted 
and  generous.  They  told  us  not  to  mind  about  the  pay, 
but  just  give  them  a little  bit  of  an  order  on  the  old 
commodore  and  it  would  be  all  right.  ‘‘  Come,  my 
shipmates,  what  are  you  going  to  have?”  sung  out 
Johnny  Smith,  the  old  land-shark.  Let  us  sing  the 
flowing  bowl,  drink,  dance,  sing,  and  be  merry.”  Then 
Yankee  Jim,  the  old  land-pirate,  broke  in  and  sang  lus- 
tily : 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


249 


“ Come  ye,  all  my  jolly  sailors  bold, 

We’ll  never  have  it  said 
That  the  Yankee  tars  exploring  go 
Were  ever  yet  afraid.” 

Well,  we  just  did  drink,  dance,  and  sing.  After  a 
dance  it  was  All  hands  splice  the  mainbrace.”  Maybe 
eighteen  or  twenty  would  drink,  when  two  hundred 
drinks  would  be  charged  to  us. 

The  commodore  had  his  weather  eye  open,  and  had 
foreseen  all  this,  and  had  caused  notices  to  be  issued 
forbidding  any  one  to  trust  any  of  the  crews,  as  he  should 
not  pay  any  debts  of  their  contracting  on  any  account 
whatever. 

After  having  a jolly  time,  if  you  can  call  it  a jolly  time, 
and  our  liberty  being  up,  we  returned  on  board  our 
respective  ships,  every  — man — sober.  Soon  these  soul- 
less landlords  and  rumsellers  presented  their  bills  to 
the  commodore,  amounting  to  nearly  two  thousand  dol- 
lars. He  asked  them  if  they  had  not  seen  the  notices. 
They  acknowledged  that  they  had,  but  made  complaints 
against  the  measure,  and  demanded  the  payment  of  these 
bills.  The  commodore  listened  to  their  arguments  very 
attentively,  and  they  inferred  that  they  had  softened  him 
somewhat  in  his  resolution,  in  which,  however,  they  were 
mistaken,  for  he  told  them  that  he  pitied  them,  and  was 
very  sorry,  and  that  his  sorrow  was  still  greater  that  the 
bills  did  not  amount  to  fifty  thousand  dollars  instead  of 
two  thousand,  for  in  any  case  he  would  not  allow  one 
cent  of  it  to  be  paid ; so  the  bills  were  squared  by  the 
foretop-sails,  as  Jack  before  the  mast  has  it. 

Having  completed  our  surveys  and  researches  in  this 


2^0 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


group  of  islands,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  27th  of 
November  vve  bade  farewell  to  our  kind  friends  in 
Honolulu,  and,  the  squadron  in  company,  took  our  final 
leave  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  and  set  sail  for  the  East 
Indies. 


HAWAIIAN  IDOL. 


was  a rapid  sailor, 
stiff  breeze  right 
was  given  all  the 
possibly  carry,  and 
reeled  off  thirteen 
and  we  were  re- 
the  end  of  each 
teen  knots  nearer 
lookout  was  kept 
had  been  reported 
seen  in  this  local- 
none. 


The  Vincennes 
and  we  had  a good, 
abeam,  and  she 
sail  that  she  could 
our  gallant  ship 
knots  an  hour, 
minded  that  at 
hour  we  were  thir- 
our  homes.  Bright 
for  land,  as  islands 
as  having  been 
ity,  but  we  saw 

On  the  7th  of  December  we  dropped  a day,  having 
passed  into  east  longitude  ; the  day  beautifully  clear.  In 
some  parts  of.the  ocean  we  have  sailed  in,  the  sea  has  been 
of  a dark,  or  light  green,  blue,  or  olive  color,  and  in  some 
places  as  clear  as  the  raindrops.  Here  it  was  so  trans- 
parent that  our  pot,  which  was  a large,  old-fashioned, 
three-legged,  iron  one,  painted  white,  when  lowered  into 
the  water,  bottom  upwards,  was  seen  at  thirty-two  fathoms 
(one  hundred  and  ninety  feet)  deep. 

On  the  19th  we  made  Wakes  Island,  which  is  of  coral 
formation,  eight  feet  above  the  sea,  with  a large  lagoon, 
which  was  well  filled  with  fish.  Here  we  found  the 
short-tailed  albatross.  After  surveying  this,  Gugan,  and 
Assumption  Islands,  we  stood  on  our  course. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


2^1 


On  the  8th  of  January  we  made  the  islands  of  Sabtang 
and  Batan.  The  wind  being  ahead  we  beat  through  the 
Balintang  Straits.  We  had  now  left  the  North  Pacific 
and  entered  the  Sooloo  Sea. 

At  daylight  on  the  13th  we  dropped  anchor  in  the 
Bay  of  Manilla,  island  of  Luzon,  one  of  the  Philippine 
Islands.  These  islands  are  of  a volcanic  nature,  and  no 
portion  of  the  globe  is  so  much  the  seat  of  internal  fires ; 
though  none  were  in  action  while  we  were  there,  some 
of  them  were  smoking.  They  were  discovered  by 
Magellan  in  1521,  and  are  subject  to  the  Spanish  govern- 
ment. The  city  is  fortified  with  walls  and  ditches,  as  in 
all  Spanish  ports.  'Phe  streets  were  narrow  and  dirty. 
The  houses  were  two  stories  high,  built  of  stone,  and 
were  either  yellow  or  whitewashed.  Outside  of  the 
city  they  were  built  of  bamboo,  and  elevated  on  posts  to 
prevent  the  entrance  of  the  numerous  reptiles,  centi- 
pedes, and  lizards. 

While  taking  a cruise  up  one  of  the  main  streets  we 
saw  the  cooks  in  movable  kitchens,  frying  cakes,  making 
bird’s-nest  puddings,  stewing,  etc.  It  amused  us  to  see 
them  at  work  in  the  streets.  Chinese  tinkers,  black- 
smiths, bakers,  cabinet-makers,  shoe  and  slipper  makers, 
tailors,  hawkers  of  opium  and  cakes  of  coagulated 
blood  and  betel  nut,  were  numerous.  The  betel  nut  was 
chewed  with  the  pepper-leaf  by  the  natives  of  the  East 
Indies.  It  stained  their  teeth  to  a cherry  red. 

The  majority  of  the  population  was  Chinese.  There 
were  also  many  Malays,  and  a few  Spaniards,  Europeans, 
and  negroes.  All  wore  loose  dresses  and  slippers.  Those 
who  could  afford  it  carried  Chinese  umbrellas,  very 


2^2 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


gorgeously  painted,  to  screen  themselves  from  the  burn- 
ing sun.  The  women  were  very  fond  of  bathing  ; like- 
wise of  shopping  — a favorite  amusement,  I find,  with  the 
fair  sex  the  world  over. 

While  on  an  expedition  with  the  botanists  into  the 
country  we  met  many  buffaloes.  The  natives  yoked 
them  together,  as  our  farmers  do  oxen.  They  were  the 
beasts  of  burden.  The  ladies  also  rode  horseback  upon 
them,  with  saddles  cut  out  of  solid  wood.  We  saw 
buffaloes  near  the  edge  of  the  lakes,  floundering  about 
in  the  mire,  with  only  their  eyes  and  noses  out  of  water. 
Their  flesh  is  as  tough  as  sole  leather,  and  as  tasteless. 

In  and  about  the  lakes  and  ponds  we  saw  many  birds 
feeding ; herons,  gulls,  pelicans  with  their  huge  bills, 
the  diver  with  its  long,  arched  neck,  snow-white  cranes, 
flocks  of  ducks,  eagles,  and  many  other  beautifully  feath- 
ered and  rare  birds. 

As  for  monkeys,  I might  say  some  of  the  woods  were 
full  of  them.  It  was  indeed  amusing  to  see  them,  not  in 
a cage  in  a menagerie,  but  in  their  homes  in  the  woods, 
cutting  up  all  kinds  of  monkey-shines.  They  go  in 
troops  of  from  sixty  to  eighty,  chasing  each  other,  and 
sometimes  leaping  a distance  of  fifteen  to  twenty  feet, 
from  the  limb  of  one  tree  to  another,  and  such  a snarl- 
ing, squealing  set  we  never  fell  in  with  before.  Some 
of  them  had  very  broad  noses,  long  tails,  and  were  as 
black  and  glossy  as  could  be.  To  see  them  swing  from 
the  limb  of  a tree,  by  the  end  of  their  tails,  was  truly 
laughable.  We  also  started  many  flocks  of  beautiful 
green  parrots  and  paroquets,  and  came  across  many  hot 
springs. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast.  25^ 


Rice  is  the  principal  food  of  the  inhabitants  of  these 
islands.  There  are  several  different  varieties, — the 
bontot-cabayo,  birnambang,  dumali,  quinanda,  bolohan, 
and  malagequil  — the  latter  is  very  much  prized.  All 
their  dainty  and  fancy  dishes  were  made  from  it.  A 
brilliant  whitewash,  very  durable,  and  capable  of  stand- 
ing the  weather,  was  also  made  from  it. 

All  the  tropical  fruits  grow  here, — pine-apples,  the  best 
I have  seen  in  any  part  of  the  world.  The  Brazilian, 
Porto  Rico,  and  Bahama  pine-apples  were  not  to  be 
compared  to  the  Philippines.  They  grow  very  large, 
some  of  them  weighing  twenty  pounds  or  more.  They 
are  the  fruit  of  fruits,  and  the  most  delicious  in  the 
world.  The  meaning  of  pine-apple  is,  You  are  perfect.” 

The  largest  building  — that  is,  the  longest  — that  we 
saw  while  there,  was  the  Royal  Cigar  Manufactory,  in 
which  fifteen  thousand  persons  were  employed,  eleven 
thousand  of  whom  were  women.  A boat’s  crew  of  us 
were  passing  by  the  factory  one  noon  when  the  em- 
ployees were  coming'  out  for  dinner.  We  had  never 
seen  so  many  women  together  at  once ; many  of  them 
were  short  and  stout.  Their  average  height  was  about 
five  feet.  They  were  clothed  in  loose  jackets  and  petti- 
coats made  from  gaudy  colored  grass  cloth.  They  wore 
no  stockings,  and  their  feet  were  covered  by  slippers 
often  very  pretty  in  shape  and  color.  Many  of  them 
had  beautiful  large  teeth,  stained  red  by  chewing  the 
betel  nut.  All  had  glossy  black  hair.  We  did  not  see 
a red-headed  girl  among  them.  Many  were  extremely 
pretty,  if  not  handsome.  The  majority  of  them,  how- 
ever, were  very  homely. 


2^4  Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


Among  the  shipping  which  we  saw  lying  in  the  roads 
were  two  American  vessels,  loading  with  hemp. 

On  the  morning  of  the  21st  of  January  we  got  under 
way  and  made  sail  for  the  Straits  of  Mindoro. 

On  the  6th  of  February  we  made  and  surveyed  the 
Pangootaaraang  group,  consisting  of  five  small  islands. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  8th  we  made  the  Mangsee 
Islands.  Here,  as  on  many  of  the  islands  of  the  Sooloo 
Seas,  lived  crews  of  freebooters  and  blood-thirsty 
Malay  pirates,  more  ready  and  willing  to  cut  our  throats 
and  pick  our  pockets  than  to  trade.  Though  not  can- 
nibals, they  delighted  in  shedding  blood,  and  were  fully 
as  barbarous  and  treacherous  as  the  Fiji  cannibals.  Our 
Sooloo  pilot  advised  us  when  we  landed  not  to  penetrate 
into  the  woods. 

Here,  as  on  all  the  islands,  we  saw  many  beautiful 
birds.  We  found  one  kind  we  had  not  seen  on  any 
other  island.  It  was  about  half  as  large  as  a peacock, 
but  clothed  in  richer  colored  feathers. 

Monkeys  could  be  seen  in  great  numbers.  Here  we 
found  what  was  called  the  ‘‘sad-faced”  monkey.  It 
was  very  quiet  and  slow-motioned,  and  had  a very  broad 
and  melancholy  face. 

While  pulling  along  these  shores,  we  looked  over  the 
gunwales  of  our  boats  into  some  of  the  most  beautiful 
coral  flower  gardens  that  are  to  be  found  in  the  world. 

The  food  of  the  natives  was  hogs,  ground-rats,  snails, 
monkeys,  snakes,  etc. 

While  surveying  in  the  boats  we  fired  muskets,  in 
order  to  measure  base.  The  Malays  mistook  us  for  some 
shipwrecked  crew,  and  thought  our  guns  were  signals  of 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


255 


distress.  They  came  down  upon  us  in  several  of  their 
prows  at  full  speed,  and  armed  with  their  cuirasses  and 
spears.  Our  boats  at  once  closed  together.  The  pirates 
came  alongside  of  us,  but,  having  no  fire-arms,  and  seeing 
that  we  were  numerous  and  well  armed,  they  sneakingly 
hauled  off  again,  and  had  the  impudence  to  hoist  a 
white  flag  in  token  of  peace.  Their  retreat  was  hastened 
by  a shot  from  our  ship,  which  had  just  rounded  a point 
a mile  to  windward,  and  thus  signaled  for  our  return. 
I never  have  seen  such  a bloodthirsty  set  of  thieves  and 
pirates  as  were  these  Malays. 

On  the  1 8th,  at  midnight,  we  made  Pulo  Aor  and 
Pulo  Pedaang.  We  came  to  until  daylight,  when  we 
found  ourselves  close  alongside  a large  Chinese  junk. 
After  breakfast  we  weighed  anchor,  but,  the  wind  being 
light,  we  did  not  reach  Singapore  Roads  until  the  next 
day,  when,  in  the  afternoon,  we  came  to  anchor  opposite 
the  town.  Here  we  found  the  flags  of  all  nations  flut- 
tering in  the  breeze,  from  the  mizzen  peak  of  the  stately 
Indiaman,  and  the  bamboo  yards  of  the  huge  Chinese 
junk.  Many  of  these  flags  some  of  us  now  beheld  for 
the  first  time. 

Among  the  shipping  found  here,  we  saw  American, 
English,  French,  Russian,  Spanish,  Turkish,  Greek,  and 
Siamese  vessels,  Dutch  galiots,  built  out  of  teak,  Balti- 
more clippers,  long,  low,  rakish  brigs  and  schooners, 
opium  smugglers,  Chinese  junks  with  a large  eye  on  each 
bow  so  that  they  might  see  the  Malay  prows,  prahus, 
bumboats,  and  numerous  odd-looking  boats,  called 
sampans. 

Our  ship  was  soon  surrounded  by  a fleet  of  bumboats 


2^6  Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 

and  sampans.  On  these  were  washerwomen,  many  of 
whom  were  young  and  pretty,  and  venders  of  all  con- 
ceivable goods ; soft-tack,  fresh  eggs  of  different  sizes, 
a reddish-colored  milk,  chickens,  cockerells,  and  ducks, 
both  cooked  and  alive,  various  kinds  of  pies,  cakes,  and 
puddings,  carved  fowl,  and  fish,  fruits  and  vegetables, 
mats,  shells,  birds  of  paradise,  pigeons,  various  parrots, 
cockatoos,  monkeys,  singing  and  talking  birds,  beautiful 
specimens  of  corals,  and  many  other  curiosities  too  num- 
erous to  mention.  All  the  venders  pleaded  piteously 
for  us  to  buy,  declaring  that  everything  was  very 
cheap. 

We  were  homeward  bound,  so  our  stay  here  was  short, 
yet  in  rowing  the  officers  up  to  town  we  had  a chance  to 
see  the  sights  of  the  place.  On  either  side  of  the  river 
we  saw  the  floating  homes  of  the  Chinese,  called  sam- 
pans. They  were  covered  with  women  and  children.  The 
children  were  all  naked,  frolicking  in  the  water,  and  ap- 
parently happy  as  ducks.  But  what  took  the  wind  out 
of  our  sails  was  to  see  guards  of  swarthy,  brown  sepoys, 
dressed  up  as  English  soldiers,  in  close-bodied,  red  coats, 
while  the  thermometer  stood  at  nearly  one  hundred. 
Besides  Europeans,  we  saw  many  Hindus,  Dutch,  Chi- 
nese, Jews,  Malays,  Parsees,  Armenians,  and  Buddhists. 
There  was  a jargon  of  languages,  but  all  seemed  to 
understand  one  another. 

Most  of  the  trades  were  carried  on  in  the  streets. 
Here  we  found  umbrellas  and  fans  for  sale,  coffin-makers, 
and  money  changers  whose  smaller  coins  were  pieces  of 
melted  silver,  several  copper  coins  tied  on  a string,  a 
peculiar  kind  of  fish  scales,  and  small  cowry  shells. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


2^7 


There  were  also  Chinese  barbers  who  pulled  teeth,  bled, 
cupped,  and  leeched  most  unmercifully. 

Our  scientific  gentlemen  were  advised  not  to  visit  the 
woods  in  search  of  specimens,  as  they  would  be  liable 
to  be  attacked  by  tigers. 

The  pine-apples  here  were  delicious.  They  were  not 
in  the  least  acid,  and  did  not  turn  the  knife  black  when 
cut. 

On  the  morning  of  the  26th,  everything  being  in 
readiness,  we  took  advantage  of  the  land  breeze  and  got 
under  way.  We  passed  our  Daughter  of  the  Squadron 
(the  Flying  Fish),  which  had  been  sold,  the  commodore 
fearing  to  trust  her  around  the  stormy  Cape  of  Good 
Hope.  She  had  been  our  companion  in  many  toils  and 
dangers.  As  we  passed  her  with  a strange  commander 
and  crew  on  board,^  and  a foreign  flag  at  her  mast-head 
floating  to  the  balmy  breeze,  every  bosom  was  filled  with 
sadness. 

The  Sea  Gull  had  foundered  off  the  coast  of  Terra 
del  Fuego,  the  Relief  had  been  sent  home  from  New 
Holland,  the  Peacock  had  been  wrecked  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Columbia  River,  so  the  Vincennes  and  Po7'poise  were 
all  that  remained  of  the  squadron  which  were  to  return 
to  the  United  States. 

The  wind  being  fair,  we  sailed  through  the  Straits  of 
Banca,  into  the  Java  Seas,  and  through  the  Straits  of 
Sunda,  into  the  Indian  Ocean.  Our  ships’  supply  of 
stores,  which  we  took  on  board  at  Singapore,  had  been 
awaiting  our  arrival  for  several  years,  and  consequently 
was  rather  stale  and  musty,  particularly  our  hard-tack, 
which  was  both  moldy  and  wormy. 


2^8 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


“But  who  cares?  who  cares? 

We  are  homeward  bound,  we  are  homeward  bound, 

And  only  fifteen  thousand  miles  away ! 

But  who  cares?  who  cares? 

We  are  homeward  bound,  we  are  homeward  bound.” 

All  was  life  and  gayety  on  board,  and  bright  visions  of 
home  were  before  us.  The  weather  was  fine,  the  wind 
fair,  and  our  gallant  ship  had  all  the  sail  on  her  that  she 
could  possibly  carry.  She  made  thirteen  and  a half 
knots  per  hour  for  five  days  in  succession.  We  did  not 
raise,  tack,  or  sheet,  or  take  a pull  at  the  brace,  only  the 
mainbrace,”  and  that  we  spliced.” 

March  2.  This  morning  our  old  shipmate,  George 
Porter,  the  man  who  came  very  near  being  hung  while 
we  were  off  the  Carney  Islands,  breathed  his  last.  He 
belonged  in  Bangor,  Maine,  and  how  eagerly  he  looked 
forward  to  going  home  and  seeing  all  the  loved  ones 
there  ! Poor  George  ! He  was  a jolly  good  fellow,  an 
excellent  sailor,  and  a worthy  shipmate.  It  made  us  feel 
very  sad  to  commit  his  body  to  the  depths  of  the 
hungry,  restless  ocean,  there  to  lie  until  the  sea  is 
summoned  to  give  up  its  dead. 

The  weather  continued  fine  and  the  breezes  light 
until  the  20th,  when  we  encountered  bad  weather,  with 
a very  rough,  chopped  sea,  which  caused  the  ship  to 
pitch  deeply. 

On  the  23d  Benjamin  Vanderford,  our  trading  mas- 
ter and  South  Sea  pilot,  died.  He  had  formerly  com- 
manded several  South  Sea  trading  vessels  from  Salem. 
He  could  converse  in  the  Fiji  language,  and  was  well 
versed  in  their  manners  and  customs.  A strong  attach- 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast,  2^g 


ment  had  sprung  up  between  him  and  our  Fiji  chief, 
Vendovi,  whom  he  was  to  take  in  charge  on  our  arrival 
in  the  United  States.  Nothing  could  induce  poor  Ven- 
dovi to  look  at  the  corpse  of  his  friend.  His  spirits  left 
him.  He  had  been  failing  for  some  time,  and  sailors’ 
rations  did  not  agree  with  him.  He  had  lost  his  best 
friend,  and  no  doubt  felt  it  keenly.  Mr.  Vanderford’s 
body  was  committed  to  the  deep  with  the  usual  service 
and  honors. 

For  several  days  we  had  delightful  weather  and  strong 
trades,  enabling  us  to  make  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
a day  nearer  our  homes. 

On  the  30th  we  overtook  and  spoke  the  ship  Claren- 
don of  Boston,  from  Canton,  bound  for  New  York. 

On  April  14th  we  came  to  anchor  in  Table  Bay,  Cape 
of  Good  Hope.  The  Cape  was  discovered  by  the  Port- 
uguese navigator,  Bartholomew  Diaz,  in  i486,  and  named 
by  him  the  Cape  of  Storms.”  When,  on  his  return  to 
Portugal,  he  made  known  his  discovery.  King  Henry 
gave  it  another  name. 

“ Dread  roared  the  blast,  the  wave ; 

O’er  the  torn  heavens,  loud  on  their  awestruck  ear. 

Great  nature  seemed  to  call,  ‘ Approach  not  here  ! ’ 

At  Lisbon’s  court  they  told  their  dread  escape. 

And,  from  her  raging  tempest,  named  the  cape. 

‘ Thou  southmost  point,’  the  joyful  king  exclaimed, 

‘ Cape  of  Good  Hope  be  thou  forever  named.’  ” 

Cape  of  Good  Hope  is  always  hailed  by  the  home- 
bound  sailor  with  as  much  delight  as  Cape  Horn  is  with 
fear.  Here  we  found  much  shipping  lying  quietly  at 
anchor.  The  view  of  Cape  Town  from  the  ship’s  deck 


26o 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


is  indeed  novel.  On  either  side  of  Table  Mountain  are 
seen  the  crags  of  Lion’s  Head  and  Devil’s  Peak.  The 
broad,  flat  top  of  Table  Mountain  is  always  overhung  by 
a great  cloud,  and  when  the  cloud  spreads  out  and 
covers  the  whole  town  with  its  broad  shadows,  it  is  then 
termed  by  Jack  before  the  mast  the  devil’s  table- 
cloth.” f 

To  the  south,  on  the  hill,  stands  the  world-renowned 
observatory,  where  Sir  John  Herschell  discovered  the 
planet  which  once  bore  his  name,  but  is  now  called 
Uranus. 

Cape  Town  is  an  old  Dutch  settlement,  and  everything 
wore  a Dutch  look.  Almost  all  the  people  we  met  were 
Dutch.  Both  men  and  women  were  short  and  stout, 
with  full,  rosy  cheeks.  They  all  dressed  in  the  old  Dutch 
fashion. 

While  taking  a cruise  with  the  botanists  in  the  out- 
skirts of  the  town,  we  fell  in  with  some  of  the  Caffirs, 
Bushmen,  Hottentots,  and  other  tribes  of  South  Africa. 

On  the  17  th  we  got  under  way,  and  took  our  depart- 
ure from  the  Cape  of  Storms,  shaping  our  course  for 
the  island  of  St.  Helena. 

On  the  morning  of  the  19th  Joseph  Sylva,  a Port- 
uguese boy,  who  had  shipped  at  Oahu,  died.  In  the 
afternoon  his  body,,  with  two  roundshot,  was  sewed  up  in 
his  hammock,  and  committed  to  the  deep.  Brave  little 
Joe  is  now  sleeping  beneath  the  blue  waters  with  others 
of  the  ocean’s  heroes. 

After  a run  of  thirteen  days,  we  came  to  anchor  in  the 
roadstead  of  the  Valley  of  Jamestown,  island  of  St. 
Helena.  Here  we  found  six  American  and  two  Eng- 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


261 


lish  ships,  one  from  Sweden,  and  a Dutch  sloop-of- 
war,  at  anchor.  The  island  of  St.  Helena  is  nothing  but 
a large,  barren  rock,  uprisen  from  the  sea,  and  so  steep 
that  only  a short  distance  from  the  shores  soundings 
cannot  be  obtained  with  a deep-sea  line.  The  only 
landing  place  was  Jamestown.  The  population,  at  this 
time,  including  the  garrison,  some  English  gentlemen, 
negroes,  a few  Chinese,  and  many  quadroons,  numbered 
about  four  thousand,  and  all  lived  in  the  Valley  of 
Jamestown.  Meats,  vegetables,  and  fruits  we  found 
very  scarce  and  extremely  dear.  Rum,  however,  was 
plenty,  and  quite  cheap.  It  was  not  made  here,  but  was 
sent  out  from  New  England,  America  ! 

St.  Helena  is  celebrated  only  because  of  its  being  the 
place  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte’s  confinement  and  death. 

The  following  verses  about  Napoleon  I learned  when 
before  the  mast : 

“ Come  all  ye  nations,  both  far  and  near, 

And  listen  to  my  song  and  story. 

For  l)y  these  few  lines  you  soon  shall  hear 
How  man’s  deprived  of  fame  and  glory. 

‘‘  Ambition  will  have  its  flight. 

Fortune  is  often  backward  twirled, 

Old  Boney  could  not  be  content 
Till  he  was  master  of  the  world. 

“ Oh  ! Wellington,  he  took  the  field. 

And  brought  those  British  boys  to  Buffon, 

When  old  Boney  he  was  forced  to  yield. 

And  go  on  board  the  Bellerophoit.''^ 

One  afternoon  a boat’s  crew  of  us  ascended  Ladder 
Hill,  and  visited  Longwood,  the  late  residence  of  Napo- 


262 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


Icon.  A short  time  previous  to  our  arrival,  by  the  con- 
sent of  the  British  Government,  the  Bellerophon^  the 
same  ship  that  had  borne  Napoleon  here  as  an  exile, 
carried  his  remains  back  to  his  native  land.  Some 
cedars  and  weeping  willows  were  growing  around  the 
tomb,  which  was  built  of  P^nglish  cement.  It  had  partly 
caved  in,  and  pieces  of  it  were  lying  about.  I have 
a piece  of  it  in  my  possession  to-day.  In  the  room 
in  which  the  emperor  died  was  a Yankee  threshing- 
machine.  The  ceiling  and  walls  were  covered  with 
cobwebs,  and  the  floor  strewn  with  chaff  and  straw. 

Among  the  many  yarns  that  I have  heard  spun  in  the 
ship’s  forecastle  is  one  about  Napoleon’s  attempted 
escape  from  St.  Helena.  It  is  said  that  a Baltimore 
clipper  was  watering  ship  at  the  island.  Large  casks 
were  used  for  the  purpose  of  holding  the  water,  and 
these  had  been  taken  ashore  by  the  crew,  filled,  and 
returned  to  the  landing,  ready  to  be  taken  on  board 
ship.  They  were,  in  fact,  being  rolled  over  the  draw- 
bridge and  past  the  guard  house,  when  a guard  noticed 
that  one  of  the  hogsheads  appeared  very  light.  He 
ordered  the  hoop  at  one  end  to  be  knocked  off  and  the 
head  taken  out,  when,  lo  and  behold,  there  was  Napo- 
leon ! 

On  the  2d  of  June,  late  in  the  afternoon,  we  heard 
the  shrill  pipe  of  the  boatswain  and  his  mate  calling  all 
hands,  Up  anchor  for  the  United  States  ! ” Home, 
sweet,  sweet  home  1 There  is  no  sweeter  word  that 
greets  the  sailor’s  ear,  let  his  home  be  in  England, 
Scotland,  Wales,  Ireland,  France,  Russia,  or  in  the  land 
of  the  Stars  and  Stripes.  Yes,  when  homeward  bound 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


26^ 


after  a long  cruise,  even  the  bosom  of  Jack  before  the 
mast  heaves  with  joyous  emotion.  But  some  of  our 
shipmates  who  left  home  with  us  four  years  ago  are  not 
with  us  to-day.  Some  sleep  in  old  Ocean’s  sepulcher, 
among  other  treasures  of  the  deep,  and  some  in  coral 
graves.  The  Sea  Gull's  crew,  who  were  bound  together 
in  ties  of  friendship  and  love,  had  not  been  separated 
in  the  hour  of  death,  but  had  sunk  together  to  rise  no 
more  until  the  sea  is  summoned  to  give  up  its  dead. 
May  they  rest  in  peace  ! 

There  was  not  a man  on  the  sick-list,  and  the  faces 
of  all  hands  seemed  to  wear  the  glow  of  some  bright 
vision  of  happiness.  The  weather  was  fine,  the  wind 
fair,  and,  with  studding  sails  set  on  either  side, — below 
and  aloft, — our  good  ship,  like  a thing  of  life,  bounded 
onward,  as  eager  to  reach  home  as  were  her  jolly  crew. 
Everything  was  lovely,  and  nothing  transpired  to  mar 
our  happiness  as  we  passed  through  the  tropics. 

On  the  1 6th  crossed  the  equator.  One  very  warm 
and  pleasant  night,  in  the  mid-watch,  seeing  three  of 
our  quarter  growlers  (old  sailors)  taking  a siesta  on 
deck,  and  enjoying  our  big  dog,  Sydney,  as  a pillow,  I 
hunted  up  a bone  and  placed  it  about  a foot  from  the 
dog’s  nose.  As  soon  as  Sydney  got  a smell  of  the  bone 
he  suddenly  sprang  up,  and  the  sleepers’  heads  came 
down  on  deck  with  a thump.  Such  a growling  ! Why, 
they  were  like  three  old  bears  with  sore  heads,  and  if 
they  had  known  who  the  culprit  was,  I verily  believe 
they  would  have  thrown  him  overboard. 

On  the  28th  we  crossed  the  Tropic  of  Cancer  and 
sailed  through  what  might  be  called  a sea  of  sun-fish, 


264  Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


for  the  surface  of  the  ocean  seemed  to  be  covered  with 
them. 

On  the  29th  we  passed  floating  fields  of  gulf- weed, 
some  of  them  a mile  in  length.  Our  prisoner,  the 
Fiji  chief  Vendovi,  was  failing  rapidly  in  health. 
He  had  been  very  despondent  since  the  death  of  Mr. 
Vanderford.  All  hands  were  busily  engaged  building 
‘‘castles  in  the  air,”  imagining  what  they  would  do  when 
they  got  paid  off.  As  regards  your  humble  servant,  he 
had  fully  made  up  his  mind  not  to  ship  again  in  the 
navy.  This  was  my  sixth  year,  and  I had  had  enough 
of  the  navy  during  that  time  to  last  me  a lifetime.  I 
had  seen  as  good  men  as  ever  trod  a ship’s  deck,  lashed 
to  the  rigging — made  spread  eagles  of — and  flogged. 
Truly,  “ feeble  man,  clothed  with  a little  brief  authority, 
plays  such  fantastic  tricks  before  high  heaven  as  to  make 
the  very  angels  weep.” 

Fifty  years  have  passed,  and  how  little  reform  has 
been  made  in  the  treatment  of  sailors  ! It  is  true  Jack’s 
grog  has  been  stopped,  and  flogging  has  been  legally 
abolished.  Still,  in  this  nineteenth  century,  the  sailor  is 
most  tyrannically  abused,  as  can  be  seen  by  reading  the 
reports  in  the  daily  papers.  For  instance,  a naval  offi- 
cer— one  high  in  authority  — is  court-martialed,  and 
found  guilty  of  abusing  and  threatening  the  lives  of  some 
of  his  men.  The  officer  is  sentenced  to  be  put  on  the 
retired  list  for  a year.  This  punishment  in  reality  means 
a twelve  months’  picnic  on  full  pay.  A merchant  cap- 
tain — a very  small  specimen  of  a man  — knocks  down 
one  of  his  sailors  with  a handspike,  and  lashes  another 
to  the  rigging  and  flogs  him.  When  the  ship  arrives  in 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


26^ 


Boston,  the  two  victims  cause  the  captain  to  be  arrested. 
The  captain  is  tried  and  sentenced  by  the  learned  judge 
to  a fine  of  five  hundred  dollars — two  hundred  and  fifty 
for  each  of  the  sailors.  Would  His  Honor  consent  to 
be  struck  with  a handspike  or  lashed  to  the  rigging  and 
flogged  for  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars?  I cannot 
help  saying,  My  God  ! is  this  our  civilization?  ” 

On  the  2d  of  June  we  made  the  outer  edge  of  the  Gulf 
Stream.  Here  we  experienced  a change  of  weather.  It 
is  common  for  sailors  to  declare  that  they  never  saw  it 
blow  so  hard,  or  that  it  is  the  worst  gale  they  ever  expe- 
rienced. All  hands  acknowledged  now  with  truth  that 
they  had  never  seen  it  blow  with  greater  violence.  The 
rain  came  down  in  torrents ; the  thunder  and  lightning 
were  terrific.  It  was  a regular  old-fashioned  Gulf  gale, 
and  there  was  scarcely  a moment  during  the  twelve 
hours  it  lasted  that  we  did  not  witness  the  lightning’s 
red  glare  in  some  quarter  of  the  heavens. 

On  the  morning  of  the  9th,  it  being  foggy,  we  took  a 
cast  of  the  lead  and  obtained  soundings  at  eighty  fath- 
oms. This  showed  that  we  were  nearing  the  coast,  and 
our  thoughts  turned  at  once  to  the  dear  ones  at  home. 
Shortly  after  discharging  a gun,  a pilot  boat  hove  in 
sight ; and  soon  a pilot  came  on  board  and  took  charge 
of  the  ship. 

On  the  morning  of  the  loth  we  made  the  Highlands 
of  Nevisink,  at  the  mouth  of  New  York  harbor.  After 
lying  at  quarantine  a short  time  to  receive  the  health 
officers,  we  held  on  our  course  toward  the  city  of  New 
York.  Arriving  off  the  Battery,  all  hands  were  called  to 
muster,  while  the  commodore  expressed  to  us  his  thanks 


266 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


for  the  manner  in  which  we  had  conducted  ourselves 
during  the  cruise,  and  stated  the  confident  belief  that 
we  should  receive  from  the  Government  such  reward  as 
the  successful  result  of  the  cruise  and  our  long  and  peril- 
ous services  entitled  us  to.  A national  salute  of  twenty- 
six  guns  was  fired,  and  the  broad  pennant  of  Commodore 
Charles  Wilkes  was  hauled  down.  The  commodore 
then  left  the  ship  and  proceeded  to  Washington.  In 
the  absence  of  the  commodore.  Captain  William  L. 
Hudson  took  command,  and  proceeded  with  the  vessel 
to  the  Navy  Yard  at  Brooklyn.  As  soon  as  our  gallant 
ship — our  home  for  four  long  years — was  safely  moored, 
a steamboat  came  alongside  and  took  all  hands  with 
bags  and  hammocks  on  board.  We  soon  landed,  and 
were  again  free  men  in  the  land  of  freedom  ; and  a jollier 
set  of  tars  it  would  be  difficult  to  conceive  of.  To  be 
relieved  from  four  years  of  confinement  and  from  the 
severe  discipline  of  a man-of-war  was  bliss  indeed. 

A Sailor’s  Ditty. 

“ Huzza,  my  boys  ! The  ship  Vincennes 
Comes  proudly  o’er  the  wave; 

Bold  Captain  Wilkes  in  her  command, 

Two  hundred  seamen  brave. 

With  joyful  hearts  and  hopes  all  bright. 

These  Yankee  sailors  come. 

And  glorious,  full,  meridian  light 
Shines  on  their  passage  home. 

These  are  my  sons,”  bright  P'reedom  cries. 

From  the  Antarctic  seas.” 

And  proudly  from  our  mizzen  flies 
The  stars  of  Liberty. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


267 


“These  are  the  tars  that  dared  explore 
The  new  Antarctic  world, 

And  nobly  on  that  frozen  shore 
Columbia’s  flag  unfurled. 

“ The  Fiji  group  they  have  surveyed 
With  well-instructed  hearts; 

And  all  those  islands,  reefs,  and  bays. 

See  pictured  on  their  charts.” 

She  paused;  and  lo  ! from  Freedom’s  eye 
There  fell  a crystal  tear. 

“Two  sons  I’ve  lost,”  the  goddess  cried; 
“Two  sons  I loved  most  dear.” 


“Nay,  Freedom,  quiet  each  mournful  sigh; 

Those  crystal  drops  restrain; 

The  sequel  shall  relight  thine  eye 
With  pleasure’s  beam  again. 

We  are  the  men  our  chieftain  led 
O’er  dark  Malolo’s  plain; 

Before  us  hosts  of  Indians  fled. 

And  left  two  hundred  slain. 


“ We  are  the  men  that  burned  their  town, 
Wellfortifled  and  new; 

Destroyed  their  cattle,  fruits  cut  down. 
Because  thy  sons  they  slew. 

On  hands  and  knees  that  murd’rous  host 
Did  crawl  our  chief  to  meet — 

They  owned  ’twas  retribution  just — 
Begged  pardon  at  his  feet. 

“To  Mauna  Loa’s  fiery  top 
These  daring  tars  have  scaled; 

And  there,  o’er  all  the  science  group. 

Our  captain  has  surveyed. 


268 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


Let  England  boast  her  Cook  and  Ross, 
And  other  chiefs  of  fame; 

They  all  must  stand  like  mounds  of  dross 
Beside  our  captain’s  name. 

“On  Fame’s  broad  pillar,  hand  in  hand. 
Shall  stand  in  bold  relief, 

O’er  all  the  rest  of  all  the  land, 

Columbus  and  our  chief. 

Then  speed  thee  on,  our  gallant  ship. 

And  homeward  bear  thy  tars; 

While  proudly  glitters  from  thy  peak 
Columbia’s  flag  of  stars.” 


— By  one  of  the  crew. 


CHAPTER  XVIL 


Once  ashore,  we  headed  directly  for  the  sailors’  quar- 
ters,— the  Hook”  and  ^^Five  Points,”  — where  the  sail- 
ors’ boarding-houses  were  located.  We  were  greeted 
by  the  landlords,  the  landladies,  and  their  daughters 
with  a profusion  of  smiles ; and  oh,  how  glad  they  were 
to  see  us  ! If  we  had  been  their  own  brothers  they 
could  not  have  been  more  cordial.  They  showered 
upon  us  endearing  expressions,  such  as,  My  dear,  long- 
lost  Jack,  I am  ever  so  glad  to  see  you  home  again  ! ” 
‘‘My  shipmates,”  “My  messmates,”  etc.  This,  how- 
ever, was  all  taffy.  They  loved  us  only  for  the  shot  in 
the  locker.  When  a sailor  was  flush  they  called  him 
“Jack”  and  treated  him  like  a king;  when  his  money 
was  gone  they  called  him  “John”  and  turned  him  out. 

The  third  day  on  shore  we  heard  of  the  death  of 
Vendovi,  the  Fiji  chief.  We  also  learned  that  we 
should  not  be  paid  off  for  a week.  Feeling  anxious  to 
get  home,  and,  I must  add,  thoroughly  disgusted  with 
the  vile  set  of  land-sharks  of  both  sexes,  twenty  of  us 
started  for  Boston.  Arriving  late  in  the  evening,  we 
came  to  at  “Mother  Paine’s”  and  “Jack  Wright’s” 
sailors’  boarding-houses,  situated  on  Ann  Street.  Sun- 
day morning,  after  breakfast,  the  boy,  Isaac  Carney, 
made  for  his  home  in  East  Boston ; Bill  Roberts,  in 


2yo  Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


Chelsea  ; and  Charlie  Erskine  sought  his  home  at  the 
West  End.  At  noon,  we  all  three  met  at  Mother 
Paine’s,”  neither  of  us  having  been  successful  in  finding 
our  parents.  While  talking  over  our  morning  a Iven- 
tures  with  each  other  in  the  old  wood-shed,  we  i ould 
not  help  giving  vent  to  our  feelings.  We  did,  inceed, 
feel  very  sad  and  discouraged.  However,  after  dinner 
we  started  again.  I revisited  the  house  where  my 
mother  had  formerly  lived  in  Bridge  Street  Court.  The 
woman  whom  I found  residing  there  had  just  returned 
from  church,  and  informed  me  that  my  mother  had 
moved  about  three  years  before  to  Commercial  Street, 
and  said  I had  better  look  in  the  directory.  I had 
already  looked  there,  but  my  mother’s  name  was  not  in 
the  book.  I continued  my  search,  however,  and  finally 
discovered  that  my  mother  resided  on  Canton  Street. 

Such  a joyful  meeting  as  it  was  ! I shall  not  attempt 
to  describe  it.  Carney  also  was  successful  in  finding  his 
mother,  who  was  living  in  Chelsea,  and  Roberts  found 
his  in  East  Boston. 

Tuesday  we  all  returned  to  New  York.  It  was  four- 
teen days  from  the  time  of  our  arrival  to  the  day  we 
were  paid  off.  Mr.  Bennett  stated  in  the  New  York 
Herald  that  it  was  a shame  and  a disgrace  for  the  Gov- 
ernment to  keep  us  out  of  our  pay  so  long,  and  that  he 
would  help  pay  the  expenses  of  the  two  hundred  of  the 
Vmcennes''  crew  to  Washington  if  they  would  go  on  and 
give  each  member  of  Congress  what  they  so  richly  de- 
served— a good,  sound  thrashing.  He  had  no  doubt 
but  what  we  could  do  it,  even  if  there  were  five  hundred 
Congressmen.  At  last  the  day  arrived  when  we  were  to 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


2JI 


receive  our  wages.  Our  sailor  landlords  and  ladies  — 
the  land-sharks  — were  on  hand,  willing  and  eager  to 
take  our  earnings  as  we  received  them  from  the  purser. 
These  people  were  in  the  habit  of  acting  as  our  treas- 
urers. They  would  take  the  sailor’s  money  and  deal  it 
out  to  him  from  time  to  time,  being  sure,  however,  to 
charge  enormously  for  the  service.  The  sailors  were,  in 
fact,  swindled  without  mercy  by  these  pretended  friends. 
Some  of  our  crew  were  paid  off  with  six  and  eight  hun- 
dred dollars. 

The  next  day  about  a hundred  of  us  squared  the  yards 
with  our  landlords  and  headed  for  dear  old  Boston. 
When  we  reached  there,  several  of  the  crew  continued 
to  their  homes  on  Cape  Cod,  while  others  went  to 
Maine,  New  Hampshire,  and  Vermont.  Before  we  sepa- 
rated, however,  the  land-sharks  on  Ann  Street  had  reaped 
quite  a harvest  from  us. 

All  were  glad  to  see  me  home  again.  My  mother 
was  overjoyed,  and  told  me  that  the  hundred  dollars  I 
had  sent  to  her  had  been  a real  Godsend,  and  that  it 
came  just  in  the  nick  of  time.” 

Supper  hour  drawing  near,  my  youngest  sister  said  to 
me,  Charlie,  what  do  you  want  real  nice  for  supper?” 

I replied,  ‘^Some  of  mother’s  hasty  pudding  and 
milk.” 

They  were  all  much  astonished  at  my  simple  request, 
as  they  had  expected  to  prepare  something  more  elabo- 
rate ; but  we  had  the  hasty  pudding,  and  I assure  you  it 
was  delicious. 

I soon  went  down  town  and  bought  a suit  of  clothes 
at  John  Earle’s ; but  before  I could  wear  the  pants,  I 


2y2 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


had  to  cut  away  the  straps,  take  a reef  in  the  legs,  and 
dispense  with  the  suspenders  and  vest ; even  then  1 felt 
as  if  I was  in  irons.  However,  I stood  it,  and  with  a 
black  beaver  hat  on  the  back  of  my  head,  felt  that  my 
attire  was  comme  il faict^  and  sailed  forth. 

In  a few  days  I met  one  of  my  young  shipmates,  called 
Knowles,  who  invited  me  to  accompany  him  to  his  home 
in  Maine.  I was  pleased  to  accept  his  invitation,  and 
the  following  afternoon  we  took  the  steamboat  for  Ban- 
gor. His  home  was  in  the  country,  thirty  miles  west  of 
Bangor.  We  rode  two- thirds  of  the  way  in  an  old-fash- 
ioned stage-coach,  and  walked  the  remainder.  At  last 
we  arrived  at  the  house.  It  was  a very  old  looking 
house,  and  stood  a little  back  from  the  road.  As  we 
advanced,  we  saw  standing  in  the  large  front  doorway  a 
tall,  venerable  man,  with  long  white  hair,  and  whiskers 
reaching  to  his  waist.  He  was  leaning  on  a stalf,  and 
reminded  me  of  Rip  Van  Winkle. 

Thank  God  ! father  is  alive,  and  mother  too  ! ” ex- 
claimed my  young  shipmate,  sobbing. 

Soon  a kind,  motherly  looking  old  lady  made  her  ap- 
pearance at  the  door.  When  he  saw  her,  Knowles  cried, 
Why,  don’t  you  know  me,  mother?  ” 

Then  his  good,  loving,  old  mother  threw  her  arms 
around  his  neck,  and  exclaimed,  My  God,  my  God  ! it 
is  my  boy,  my  boy,  — my  own,  dear,  lost  boy  ! ” 

I assisted  the  old  man  to  a chair,  and  then,  while  tears 
of  joy  were  streaming  down  his  cheeks,  hauled  off  and 
took  a cruise  about  the  yard,  and  surveyed  the  hennery 
and  piggery.  The  pigs  amused  me  very  much.  There 
were  a dozen  little  ones,  short  and  fat,  and  all  of  the 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast.  27^ 


same  size.  It  was  quite  laughable  to  see  them  stare  at 
me  with  their  small,  pink  eyes  for  a second  or  two  and 
then  scamper  away.  Soon  I was  called  back  into  the 
house,  and  my  shipmate  introduced  me  to  his  venerable 
father  and  mother  and  several  brothers  and  sisters. 
'They  were  all  overjoyed  at  the  return*  of  the  long-lost 
boy.  They  had  not  heard  anything  from  him  since  he 
had  left  home,  seven  years  before,  and  his  parents  had 
supposed  him  dead.  I was  very  kindly  treated,  and 
remained  with  them  about  two  months. 

While  here,  I attended  the  academy  every  afternoon, 
for  the  trifling  expense  of  one  dollar  a week.  The  mas- 
ter was  a young  lawyer.  I also  went  to  singing- school 
one  evening  in  the  week,  and  to  writing-school  another. 
Soon,  the  master  of  the  academy  getting  married,  a vaca- 
tion was  declared  for  a month.  I had  been  progressing 
finely  in  reading,  writing,  and  singing,  so  every  one  said, 
and  regretted  the  interference  of  a vacation. 

The  time  soon  arrived  when  I had  to  take  a final  leave 
of  my  shipmate,  his  father,  mother,  brothers,  sisters,  and 
schoolmates,  and  return  to  Boston.  Mother  and  the  rest 
of  the  family  were  as  glad  to  see  me  back  as  if  I had  just 
returned  from  a long  sea  voyage. 

Upon  investigation,  I found  only  one  of  the  Vin- 
cennes' crew  in  Boston  — Samuel  Williams  — a gunner’s 
mate,  and  one  of  the  original  crew.  He  had  been 
shipped  over  five  years,  and,  with  many  others,  had  re- 
ceived more  than  eight  hundred  dollars  pay.  He  told  me 
he  had  then  but  three  hundred  left,  and  that  he  did  not 
know  what  to  do  with  it.  Said  he  had  grown  tired  and 
lonely  being  on  shore  so  long,  and  that  the  very  paving- 


274 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


stones  seemed  to  tell  him  to  go  home  — to  sea  again. 
1 never  heard  of  him  again. 

A few  days  afterwards  I shipped  in  the  bark  Ge7ieral 
Scott,  bound  to  New  York,  and  thence  to  Appalachicola. 
I made  one  trip  in  this  bark,  and  several  in  the  brig 
Thomas  Jefferson  to  Mobile  and  New  Orleans,  and  also 
two  in  an  old  down-east  molasses  drogher.  Nothing  of 
interest  occurred  on  either  of  these  short  voyages,  and 
in  about  two  years  I found  myself  at  home  again  in 

“ Boston,  O Boston,  that  fair  spot  of  earth. 

Where  heaven  gave  glorious  freedom  her  birth.” 

I soon  obtained  employment  at  painting,  and  com- 
menced work.  For  amusement  I occasionally  spent  an 
evening  at  the  old  National  Theater.  One  evening  I 
was  sitting  in  the  pit  with  a number  of  boys  who  were 
making  considerable  disturbance.  Old  Dexter,”  the 
constable,  had  spoken  to  us  several  times,  and  requested 
us  to  be  quiet.  Finding  his  mandate  unheeded,  he 
leaned  over,  seized  me  by  the  collar,  and  lifted  me  out 
of  my  seat  into  the  aisle.  He  was  a large  and  powerful 
man,  while  I was  small  and  wiry.  We  had  reached  the 
inside  door  of  the  pit,  when  the  officer  seeing  that  a 
fight  was  in  progress  in  the  entry  left  me  to  stop  the 
fight.  I improved  the  opportunity  and  skedaddled  for 
home.  The  next  day,  hearing  that  officer  Dexter  was 
in  pursuit  of  me,  I remained  in  the  house.  Fortunately, 
in  the  evening  I heard  that  a New  York  packet  was 
short-handed.  I shipped  on  her  at  once,  and  received 
four  dollars  for  the  run.  We  reached  New  York  in 
three  days.  As  we  made  fast  to  the  wharf  we  found 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


27y 


ourselves  alongside  a new  clipper  ship  called  the  Rain- 
bow. I soon  went  aboard  of  her,  and  as  I did  so  a 
brisk,  little,  old  man  stepped  up  to  me  and  said  : 

Do  you  want  to  ship?” 

‘‘What  in?” 

“ Why,  in  this  ship,  of  course.” 

“ Where  bound,  sir?  ” 

“To  Canton,  my  lad.” 

“ Thence,  where  ? ” 

“ Return  to  New  York.” 

“ What  wages,  sir  ? ” 

“ Can  you  hand,  reef,  and  steer?  ” 

“ Yes,  sir.” 

“Ten  dollars  per  month.” 

“ 1 will  ship,  sir.” 

He  then  handed  me  the  following  : 

JAMES  II.  DILL,  Notary  Public^ 

No.  j6  Wall  Street. 

Ship  the  bearer^  Charlie  Erskine,  as  ordinary  sea- 
man on  board  of  the  ship  “ Rainbow,”  at  ^lo  per  Months 
and  pay  him  $20  advance^  with  Security  and  Protection. 
New  York,  Jan.  29,  1845. 

Your  obedd  Servd, 

Capt.  John  Land. 

N'o.  141. 

/,  CORNELIUS  FAN  NESS,  Collector  of  the  District  of  New 
York,  do  hereby  Certify  that  Chas.  Erskine,  an  American  Seaman 


2j6  Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


aged  22  years,  or  thereabouts,  of  the  height  of  5 feet  7 inches.  Brown 
hair.  Dark  complexion.  Born  hi  Boston,  State  of  Massachusetts, 
has  this  day  produced  to  me  proof,  in  the  manner  directed  by  the 
Act  entitled  An  Act  for  the  Relief  and  Protection  of  American 
Seamen  and  pursuant  to  the  said  Act,  I do  hereby  certify  that 
the  said  Erskine  is  a Citizen  of  the  United  States  of  America, 

In  Witness  Whereof,  I have  hereunto  set  my  Hand  and  Seal 
of  Office,  this  29th  day  of  January,  1845. 

L W.  T.  Talman,  Collector. 

Feb.  I,  1845.  Found  myself  on  board  of  the  ship 
Rainbow,  Captain  John  Land,  bound  to  Canton.  The 
ship’s  decks  and  the  wharf  were  crowded  with  spectators 
to  witness  the  sailing  of  this  new  and  beautiful  craft. 
As  we  were  being  towed  down  the  river,  we  were  saluted 
with  shouts  and  cheers  from  the  shore.  Large  flags  and 
banners  hung  from  the  spacious  new  warehouse  of 
Messrs.  Howland  & Aspinwall,  and  the  windows  were 
filled  with  ladies.  We  had  a very  pleasant  though  cold 
sail  down  the  Narrows  to  Sandy  Hook.  When  we 
reached  the  light-house,  the  company  on  board,  which 
consisted  of  about  fifty  gentlemen,  left  us  and  went 
aboard  the  steamer  Samson  which  came  after  them.  As 
they  left,  they  gave  us  three  times  three  cheers,  which 
we  returned  with  interest.  The  Rainbow  was  one  of 
the  first  vessels  of  her  kind  — 750  tons  burden,  very 
long  and  narrow,  very  sharp,  and  an  extraordinarily  fast 
sailer,  passing  every  vessel  we  came  across.  Before  the 
steamer  left  us.  Rev.  Mr.  Barker  offered  an  appropriate 
prayer,  and  distributed  several  religious  books  among  the 
crew. 

Having  made  all  sail,  we  bowled  merrily  along  towards 
the  open  sea  at  the  rate  of  nine  knots  an  hour,  the.  wind 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast,  277 


from  the  nor’west,  we  heading  east-sou’east ; all  hands 
employed  cleaning  up  decks  and  stowing  the  anchors.  At 
five  o’clock  p.  M.  all  hands  were  called  aft  and  divided 
into  watches. 

Six  o’clock,  went  to  supper  and  the  dog-watch  set. 
The  ship’s  company  consisted  of  the  captain,  first  and 
second  mates,  carpenter,,  cook,  steward,  cabin  boy,  ten 
seamen,  six  ordinary  seamen,  and  six  boys.,  making 
twenty-nine  in  all.  Twenty-two  before  the  mast,  and 
nineteen  of  them  were  Americans.  We  also  had  four 
passengers — Mr.  Lovett,  Mr.  Gardner,  Mr.  Saltonstall, 
and  Mr.  Newbold. 

Nothing  of  importance  occurred  on  the  voyage,  with 
the  exception  of  passing  several  vessels,  until  the  4th, 
when  we  encountered  a terrific  gale.  We  took  a double 
reef  in  the  topsails,  and  sent  down  the  to’-gallant  yards. 
The  yards  had'  no  sooner  touched  the  deck  than  all 
three  to’-gallant  masts  went  by  the  board.  For  three 
days  afterward  we  ran  under  close-reefed  topsails,  with  a 
very  heavy  sea  dashing  several  feet  over  the  monkey 
rail,  flooding  the  deck  and  driving  everything  before  it. 
Several  casks  of  coal,  having  broken  away  from  lashings, 
took  a cruise  about  decks  and  did  much  damage.  Two 
water  casks  full  of  water  got  loose  and  were  carried  over  the 
rail  without  touching  it.  It  was  in  this  gale  that  the  ships 
United  States  Lojidon,  from  New  York,  foundered. 

On  the  8th  it  was  beautifully  clear.  Shook  all  the 
reefs  out  of  the  topsails,  and  made  all  the  sail  we  possi- 
bly could.  Before  ten  o’clock,  our  rigging  resembled  a 
washerwoman’s  clothes-line,  being  strung  over  with  wet 
clothes  of  every  description. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


2j8 


Sunday  morning  scrubbed  decks  and  bent  a new 
spanker  At  eight  bells  — eight  o’clock  — as  the  watch 
were  going  below,  the  weather  threatening,  the  order  was 
given  to  shorten  sail.  We  furled  thfe  mainsail,  took 
bonnet  off  the  jib,  close-reefed  the  topsails,  and  reefed 
the  spanker.  We  passed  a most  miserable  Sunday,  hav- 
ing plenty  of  work  to  do. 

February  I o and  ii.  Lying  to  under  close-reefed 
foretop-sails  and  stay-sails. 

The  morning  of  the  14th  was  fine.  In  the  afternoon 
saw  land  at  a great  distance  to  leeward,  which  proved  to 
be  the  Azores,  or  Western  Islands.  Several  sail  in  sight. 
For  several  days  the  weather  continued  fair,  the  wind 
light.  We  finished  repairing  our  to’-gallant  masts,  sent 
them  up,  crossed  our  to’-gallant,  royal,  and  sky-sail 
yards,  and  set  the  sails,  with  studding  sails  on  either  side, 
dlie  wind  being  fair,  we  made  rapid  progress.  The 
Rainbow  kept  her  crew  busy  night  and  day,  Sundays  in- 
cluded. There  is  always  a great  deal  of  necessary  work 
to  be  done  aboard  of  a new  ship  on  her  first  voyage, 
but  on  the  Rainbow  there  appeared  to  be  a large  amount 
of  unnecessary  labor  demanded. 

One  night  the  mid-watch  had  just  gone  below  to  turn 
in  when  it  was  called  back  on  deck  to  take  a pull  at  the 
weather  braces.  This  was  extra  work,  and  unnecessary, 
and  one  of  the  watch  began  to  growl.  The  captain  or- 
dered him  aft.  The  man  said  he  had  no  business  aft. 
'rhe  captain  then  threatened  to  put  him  in  irons.  The 
man  remained  obstinate,  however,  and  the  captain,  with 
the  assistance  of  the  steward,  seized  the  sailor,  and,  after 
considerable  difficulty,  executed  his  threat. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast.  2yg 


The  larboard  watch,  which  had  been  below,  hearing 
the  scuffle,  rushed  on  deck ; but  before  they  arrived  the 
man  had  been  ironed  and  thrust  down  the  booby  hatch, 
'rhe  captain,  who  was  very  much  excited  at  seeing  all 
the  larboard  watch  coming  aft  in  a body  and  inquiring 
whom  he  had  ironed,  called  for  a cutlass.  He  then 
came  in  amongst  us  and  inquired  if  any  more  of  us 
wanted  to  be  put  in  irons.  A man  by  the  name  of  Peter 
promptly  replied  that  he  did ; upon  which  he  was  seized 
by  the  collar,  thrown  upon  the  deck,  and  held  there  by 
the  steward.  Peter  at  once  showed  fight,  whereupon 
the  captain  ordered  him  to  be  tied  up  to  the  rigging  and 
flogged.  The  moment  the  order  was  given,  Peter  strug- 
gled to  his  feet,  bared  his  breast,  and,  grasping  his 
sheath  knife,  said  to  the  captain,  ‘‘You  may  run  me 
through,  but,  by  the  Eternal,  you’ll  never  tie  me  up  to 
the  rigging  and  flog  me  alive.” 

The  captain  drew  his  cutlass.  Up  to  this  point  the 
crew  had  remained  very  quiet,  but  when  they  saw  the 
captain’s  action  their  blood  began  to  rise.  Each  man 
tucked  a fresh  quid  of  tobacco  into  his  cheek  and  was 
ready  for  a fight.  A bloody  mutiny  might  have  occurred 
had  not  the  passengers  at  this  moment  interfered,  and 
by  their  entreaties  induced  the  captain  to  let  Peter  go. 
So  the  cat’s  paw  died  away. 

After  Peter  had  been  released,  the  captain  ap- 
proached us  and  said,  “ Men,  you  know,  or  ought  to 
know,  the  consequences  of  a man  before  the  mast  giving 
back  lip.  Do  what  you  are  ordered  to  do,  and  that 
quickly  and  cheerfully.  There  must  be  no  swearing, 
quarreling,  grumbling,  or  humbugging  on  board  of  this 


28o 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


ship,  and  no  such  word  as  ‘I  can’t’  is  to  be  used.  You 
have  shipped  to  work.  Your  time  belongs  to  the  owners, 
and  therefore  you  are  to  find  no  fault.  The  work  must 
be  done,  and  if  it  is  not  done  willingly,  the  sword  must 
see  it  done.” 

Taylor,  the  man  who  had  been  put  in  irons,  was  now 
set  at  liberty,  and  the  crew  ordered  forward.  The  lar- 
board watch  went  below,  and  the  starboard  watch  gave 
a pull  at  the  weather  braces,  but  not  with  the  merry  song 
as  usual.  In  justice  to  the  two  mates,  I will  state  that 
they  took  no  part  in  the  affair. 

The  2 2d,  Washington’s  birthday,  we  celebrated  with 
plenty  of  hard  work,  not  enough  being  thought  of  the 
day  which  gave  our  glorious  and  ever-to-be-remembered 
commander-in-chief  birth,  to  make  it  a holiday.  The 
only  alleviation  of  the  injustice  was  a dish  of  fried  salt 
cod-fish  for  dinner,  to  which  all  hands  did  ample 
justice. 

February  29.  Sunday.  A fairer  morning  never 
dawned.  After  having  scrubbed  decks,  we  scrubbed 
ourselves.  At  ten  o’clock  all  hands  were  called  aft  to 
prayers.  The  passengers  and  crew  gathered  around  the 
capstan,  when  the  captain  made  a few  remarks,  stating 
the  object  of  our  meeting  there  on  Sunday  and  how  we 
might  obtain  salvation,  and  urged  us  to  read  our  Bibles 
and  other  religious  books.  A chapter  from  the  Bible 
was  then  read,  and  a hymn  sung.  Then  followed  a brief 
sermon,  after  which  the  services  closed  with  prayer. 
Dinner  hour  soon  arrived,  when  we  had  the  pleasure  of 
eating  a plum  duff  with  molasses,  which  we  relished  the 
more  keenly  as  we  remembered  we  had  a watch  below 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast.  281 

in  the  afternoon  to  settle  it.  At  four  o’clock  we  were 
again  called  aft  to  prayers,  the  services  being  similar  to 
those  held  in  the  morning. 

March  5.  A fine,  clear  day,  but  very  hot.  Crossed 
the  line  to-day,  but  without  the  customary  visit  of  Father 
Neptune.  The  only  ceremony  in  crossing  was  a thorough 
baptism  of  rain,  by  which  we  were  completely  drenched. 

March  15.  We  now  doubled  the  cape  of  storms,” 
Cape  of  Good  Hope.  All  the  light  yards  were  sent 
down,  and  everything  made  snug.  The  Southern  Cross 
was  now  visible  in  the  heavens,  and  its  two  polar  stars 
shone  as  brightly  as  ever.  For  several  days  the  ship 
was  surrounded  by  albatrosses,  cape  pigeons,  and  stormy 
petrels. 

April  3.  In  the  morning  made  the  island  of  Java  and 
spoke  the  ship  Monument,  from  Canton,  bound  for 
Boston.  We  soon  entered  the  Straits  of  Sunda.  The 
wind  failing  us,  we  came  to  in  the  roads  and  took  in  a 
supply  of  fresh  buffalo  meat,  chickens,  vegetables,  fruits, 
garlic,  and  snaps,  or  Holland  gin.  Probably  in  no  part 
of  the  world  are  chickens  to  be  found  so  plenty  and 
cheap  as  at  this  island.  We  could  look  into  the  water 
and  see  the  bottom,  fairly  white  with  the  bones  which 
had  been  thrown  overboard  by  the  sailors  who  had 
visited  the  place.  During  the  two  days  we  lay  here 
becalmed,  it  was  chicken  for  breakfast,  chicken  for  din- 
ner, chicken  for  supper.  It  is  as  natural  for  an  old 
sailor  to  growl  as  it  is  for  him  to  breathe,  and,  on  this 
occasion,  they  indulged  in  it  freely.  It  was  amusing  to 
hear  one  of  them  growl  out,  Oh,  if  they  would  only 
serve  old  salt  horse  for  dinner  ! ” 


282 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


Early  on  the  evening  of  the  5th,  a light  wind  sprang 
lip  from  the  sou’west  and  we  weighed  anchor  and 
made  sail  for  Canton,  Shortly  after  making  Macao,  we 
were  boarded  by  a Chinese  pilot,  who  brought  us  up  to 
our  anchorage  at  Wampo,  Here  we  lay  eighteen  days. 
This  was  the  sickly  time  of  the  year  for  this  region. 
Consequently,  each  morning,  at  daylight,  all  hands  had 
a /^/  ( a wineglass)  of  garlic  bitters  ( garlic  steeped  in 
gin),  and  at  sunrise,  a half-pint  of  strong  Java  coffee. 
We  were  also  warned  by  the  captain  not  to  drink  any 
samshoe,  a native  liquor.  The  ship  was  discharged  of 
her  assorted  freight,  and  we  took  on  a cargo  of  teas,  mace, 
and  silks,  which  were  stowed  away  in  the  hold  by  a Chi- 
nese stevedore  and  his  gang  of  Chinamen.  While  lying 
here  we  took  the  opportunity  to  cut  three  feet  from  our 
lower  masts,  to  turn  in  and  set  up  the  lower  rigging 
back-stays,  and  to  do  other  necessary  work.  Each  watch 
had  thirty-six  hours’  liberty  to  go  to  Canton,  which  was 
about  sixteen  miles  from  Wampo,  up  the  Canton  River. 
The  favorite  resort  in  Canton  for  sailors  was  Hog  Lane 
and  vicinity.  As  soon  as  we  had  arrived  in  the  lane 
the  shopkeepers  began  to  banter  us  for  our  names,  which 
they  wished  to  use  as  signs  over  the  doors  of  their  shops. 
The  following  are  some  of  the  names  we  saw  : George 
Washington,  Johnny  Bull,  Johnny  Crapo,  Portuguese  Joe, 
Big  Dick,  Jim  Crow,  Jimmy  Ducks,  and  many  others  too 
numerous  to  mention.  In  many  of  the  shops  were  no- 
tices of  Boston  crackers,  both  hard  and  soft.”  An- 
other bore  the  sign  of ‘^Simmons’  Oak  Hall,  North  Ann 
Street,  Boston,  — the  cheapest  place  in  the  world  to  buy 
clothing.”  The  venders  of  cat,  rat,  and  dog  pies,  sug- 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast,  28^ 

ared  worms,  and  coagulated  blood,  were  more  numerous 
than  our  peanut  and  apple  venders. 

If  the  devil  should  throw  his  net  into  Canton  he  would 
surely  draw  in  his  own.  I verily  believe  every  shop- 
keeper we  met,  man  or  woman,  was  an  expert  thief, 
cheat,  and  liar.  They  could  change  a black  dog  into  a 
white  monkey,  to  say  nothing  of  a Spanish  dollar  into  a 
counterfeit.  We  saw  many  strange  sights.  Barbers  in 
the  streets,  shaving  with  razors  that  looked  like  little 
hatchets,  old  Chinese  women  reading  large  books,  and 
old  Chinamen  driving  hoops  and  flying  kites.  These 
kites  were  in  the  form  of  birds,  and  had  wings.  After 
purchasing  several  tea  caddies,  boxes,  fans,  and  other 
things  for  the  dear  ones  at  home,  we  steered  for  Hog 
Lane,  where  we  spent  the  night,  having  what  Jack  before 
the  mast  calls  a jolly  good  time.  In  the  morning,  after 
taking  an  eye-opener,  we  breakfasted  on  cat  or  dog  stew, 
— we  were  unable  to  determine  which,  though  the  meat 
tasted  much  like  rabbit’s  meat.  Of  course  the  stew  was 
plentifully  thickened  with  rice.  We  returned  on  board 
at  noon,  when  the  larboard  watch  took  their  liberty. 

While  we  were  lying  here,  the  residents  back  in  the 
country  were  visited  by  an  earthquake,  which  demolished 
over  ten  thousand  houses  and  killed  nearly  five  thousand 
people. 

In  the  city  of  Canton  there  was  a large  opera  house 
where  an  opera  troupe  had  a three  months’  engagement. 
The  Sunday  night  before  we  left,  a fire  broke  out  while 
some  five  or  six  thousand  persons  were  assembled  to 
witness  the  performance.  Nearly  all  perished  in  the 
flames. 


284 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


Labor  was  very  cheap.  We  had  all  our  clothes  and 
blankets  washed  and  mattresses  packed  for  the  small 
sum  of  one  dollar  ; also  a jar  of  ginger  presented  to  us 
as  a come-ashoreT  The  evening  before  our  departure  a 
grand  display  of  fireworks  was  given  in  honor  of  Captain 
Land  by  several  of  his  Chinese  friends. 

All  the  rigging  having  been  set  up,  and  the  ship  all 
atanto,”  the  hatches  battened  down,  and  everything 
made  snug,  on  the  morning  of  June  ist  we  weighed 
anchor  and  stood  to  sea. 

While  passing  Hong  Kong  we  saw  Old  Ironsides”  (the 
frigate  Constitution)  standing  in.  She  fired  a shot  across 
our  bow,  as  a signal  for  us  to  heave  to.  The  captain 
paying  no  attention  to  it,  or  to  the  second,  a third  was 
sent  through  the  foresail,  when  we  hove  to.  Presently 
a boat  from  the  Constitution  came  alongside.  An  officer 
climbed  over  the  side,  and  a letter-bag  was  put  on 
board.  As  the  officer  was  walking  aft  with  the  captain, 
he  espied  me  at  the  wheel. 

^^Why,  Charlie,  is  that  you?”  he  exclaimed. 

On  looking  up,  I was  surprised  at  seeing  old  Lieuten- 
ant   n Your  Eyes,”  of  the  Vinceiuics, 

Don’t  you  know  any  better  than  to  speak  to  the 
man  at  the  wheel,  ‘D n Your  Eyes’?”  I replied. 

He  soon  took  his  departure,  when  we  filled  and  stood 
on  our  course. 

Nothing  of  importance  occurred  until  we  arrived  off 
the  coast  of  Cochin  China,  when  we  were  overtaken  by 
a sou’west  monsoon.  The  captain,  having  his  weather 
eye  open,  saw  it  coming,  and  we  took  in  our  light  sails 
and  sent  the  yards  to  the  deck.  The  top-sails  lowered. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


28^ 


courses  and  crogic  clued  up,  the  squall  now  struck  us, 
and  we  had  lively  work  before  we  got  the  ship  under 
bare  poles.  The  wind  blew  furiously,  lashing  the  sea  into 
a perfect  foam,  from  three  to  four  feet  deep.  It  was 
impossible  to  tell  how  rapidly  the  ship  was  driven 
through  the  water.  It  must  have  been  from  eighteen  to 
twenty  knots,  or  more,  an  hour.  The  storm  continued 
about  six  hours. 

After  the  storm  had  subsided  we  had  fair  wind  and 
pleasant  weather  and  ‘‘watch  and  watch,”  until  we 
reached  the  cape,  when  we  again  experienced  very  rough 
weather.  One  night,  the  wind,  which  had  been  abaft 
our  quarter,  suddenly  shifted  dead  ahead.  Our  sails 
were  taken  all  aback,  and  the  ship  got  such  stern-way  on 
her  that  everybody  on  board  felt  certain  that  she  would 
go  down  stern  foremost.  It  seemed  a miracle  how  she 
was  ever  got  before  the  wind.  The  sea  was  running  very 
high,  and  the  wind  blowing  a terrific  gale.  The  ship  was 
taking  in  water  over  the  bows,  and  the  deck  was  flooded 
fore  and  aft.  All  the  sails  were  taken  in,  except  the 
foretop-sail,  which  was  blown  out  from  the  bolt-ropes, 
scarcely  a shred  of  it  remaining.  One  of  our  boys,  by 
the  name  of  Ambrose  Hazard,  was  knocked  off  the  main- 
yard  onto  the  deck  by  the  flapping  of  the  sail  which  he 
was  furling.  He  was  picked  up  and  carried  into  the  cabin 
and  put  into  a berth.  Just  then  we  shipped  a very 
heavy  sea  which  nearly  flooded  our  forecastle  and  cabin. 
Poor  Ambrose  was  washed  out  from  his  berth,  and  found 
floating  in  nearly  two  feet  of  water,  dead.  This  gale 
was  from  the  sou’east,  and  continued  about  thirty-six 
hours,  carrying  us  well  around  the  cape. 


286 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


The  first  duty  now  devolving  upon  us  was  to  bury  the 
dead.  Old  sailors  are  always  averse  to  having  dead 
men  on  board  ship.  All  hands  and  the  passengers 
gathered  at  the  lee  gangway,  where  the  impressive  Epis- 
copal burial  service  was  performed  by  the  captain.  The 
sun  rose  in  calm  sublimity  out  of  the  ocean  in  the  east- 
ern horizon  as  our  shipmate’s  body  was  launched  into  its 
watery  grave.  Just  then  a school  of  flying  fish  was  seen 
to  fly  over  the  spot,  followed  by  a school  of  dolphins, 
then  a huge  shark.  This  shark  followed  in  the  wake  of 
our  ship  for  several  days  afterward.  In  the  afternoon 
Ambrose’s  chest  was  brought  on  deck  and  an  auction 
sale  of  its  contents  commenced.  The  captain  acted  as 
auctioneer.  He  first  held  up  several  small  bundles,  but 
no  one  bid  for  them.  He  next  offered  for  sale  a pair  of 
trousers  and  a pea-jacket ; then  the  bedding.  He  pleaded 
earnestly  for  some  one  to  bid,  but  no  one  responded. 
Finally  he  took  up  several  small  packages  which  were 
tied  up  very  neatly  and  labeled,  and  read  the  addresses. 

The  first  was,  ^‘To  my  dear,  loving  mother,  from  her 
son  Ambrose.”  The  next,  ‘‘To  my  little  flaxen-haired 
sister,  Fannie.”  Another,  to  “ Brother  Eddie.”  The 
auctioneer,  our  captain,  then  made  some  very  touching 
remarks  which  brought  tears  to  the  eyes  of  both  the  pas- 
sengers and  the  crew. 

For  several  days  after  this  sad  event  we  were  busy 
sending  up  the  light  yards,  mending  and  bending  sails, 
and  rigging  studding  gear.  I have  heard  of  ships  carry- 
ing many  light  sails,  such  as  moonsails,  star-gazers,  sky- 
scrapers, and  heaven  disturbers,  but  the  Rainbow  carried 
nothing  above  her  sky-sails  ; but  she  did  carry  a standing 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


287 


crogic,  a jib,  an  outer  jib,  a flying  jib,  and  a bonnet  on 
her  jib,  fore  and  main  lower,  top,  and  top-gallant  stud- 
ding sails,  and  stay- sails  too  numerous  to  mention.  She 
had  fifteen  cloths  in  her  lower  studding  sails,  and  five 
hundred  yards  of  canvas  in  her  main  course. 

July  20.  We  were  now  rolling  along  by  the  island  of 
St.  Helena,  with  studding  sails  below  and  aloft,  and  our 
good  ship  moving  through  the  water  like  a thing  of  life. 
We  were  having  watch  and  watch,”  so  we  had  plenty 
of  time  to  mend  our  clothes  and  spin  yarns.  The  20th 
was  the  captain’s  birthday,  and  he  celebrated  it  by  hav- 
ing the  ship’s  pet  — a good-sized  pig  — killed.  All 
hands  consequently  had  a fresh  mess.  Old  Tom  Taylor, 
the  man  who  had  been  put  in  irons,  said,  The  old  man 
reminds  me  of  a Portuguese  devil  — when  he  is  good  he 
is  too  good,  and  when  he  is  bad  he  is  too  d d bad.” 

The  captain  had  naturally  a very  ugly  temper,  and  was 
a great  bully.  He  was  known  as  a bully  captain  out  of 
Baltimore.  Just  before  this  last  voyage  he  had  been 
converted  to  religion.  Probably  he  had  become  a 
better  man,  but  his  old  habits  were  still  on  him,  and  he 
would  often  rip  out  and  curse  all  hands  as  he  had  been 
used  to.  He  sometimes,  however,  would  become  aware 
of  his  brutality,  and  would  then  dive  down  into  his 
cabin,  and,  falling  upon  his  knees,  would  pray  for  half  an 
hour  afterward  ; any  one  could  hear  him,  he  prayed  so 
loud.  Our  two  mates  understood  the  old  man  better 
than  we  did,  and  succeeded  in  preventing  many  a row. 
We  were  now  nearing  the  end  of  the  voyage,  and  the 
captain  had  been  so  kind  in  giving  us  watch  and 
watch,”  which  amounted  to  half  time  off,  that  we  had 


288 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


come  to  the  conclusion  that  he  was  not  such  a bad  man, 
after  all. 

The  forecastle  of  the  Rainbow  was  a damp,  dark,  and 
narrow  little 'space  in  the  bow  of  the  ship.  There  was 
not  room  enough  between  where  our  chests  were  lashed 
for  ten  men  to  stand.  Here  we  ate,  drank,  slept, 
smoked,  took  everything  as  it  came  along,  and  derived 
all  the  pleasure  we  possibly  could.  The  crew  were 
a manly,  jolly  set.  I acquired  more  practical  sea- 
manship during  the  eight  months  while  on  board  the 
Rambow  than  in  the  whole  seven  years  while  in 
the  navy,  where  a man  or  boy  learns  nothing  but  to 
pull,  haul,  splice,  pass  the  balls,  handle  the  sails,  make 
grummets,  work  a Matthew  Walker,  a Turk’s  head,  and 
tie  a hard,  square,  hangman’s,  or  a true  lover’s  knot. 
None  but  able  seamen  are  allowed  to  take  a trick  at  the 
wheel  or  work  on  the  rigging. 

July  23.  Our  good  ship  has  been  making  rapid  prog- 
ress towards  home.  To-day  we  crossed  the  equator,  or 
equinoctial  line.  The  Magellan  Clouds  and  the  constella- 
tion of  the  Southern  Cross  are  growing  fainter  and  fainter 
in  the  distance,  while  northward  we  see  many  of  our  old 
familiar  friends  that  have  cheered  us  in  our  night  watches 
— Jupiter,  the  Pleiades,  and  the  Big  Dipper. 

August  8.  This  evening  in  latitude  7°  north,  just  above 
the  northern  horizon,  we  made  the  North  Star.  It  was 
shining  as  brightly  as  ever. 

August  10.  Weather  fair,  with  a strong  breeze  blow- 
ing from  the  sou’east.  Oar  ship  was  making  fourteen 
knots  an  hour.  We  carried  this  breeze  until  the  i8th, 
when  it  commenced  to  slacken.  In  the  evening  caught  a 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


28g 


porpoise,  and  the  following  morning  had  some  porpoise 
steak  for  breakfast,  instead  of  our  usual  mess  of  lobscouse, 
which  was  made  of  bread,  potatoes,  onions,  and  salt  beef 
and  pork  chopped  up  — the  whole  stewed  together. 
This  mess,  with  a pot  of  coffee  sweetened  with  molasses, 
was  generally  the  standard  dish  on  board  of  a merchant- 
man for  Jack  before  the  mast. 

We  were  so  near  home  now  we  were  taking  what  Jack 
calls  sailor’s  pleasure,  that  is,  overhauling  our  chests, 
monk-bags,  ditty-boxes,  and  the  little  parcels  marked  for 
brother,  sister,  or  the  girl  I left  behind  me.”  The 
small  space  where  our  deceased  shipmate’s  chest  had 
been  lashed  remained  unoccupied,  and  any  one  of  the 
crew  would  as  soon  have  thought  of  jumping  overboard 
as  of  sitting  or  standing  there.  The  old  sailors  swore 
that  they  had  seen  poor  Ambrose  standing  there,  shiver- 
ing in  the  wind,  and  looking  as  pale  as  a ghost. 

As  we  neared  the  Gulf  Stream  the  weather  looked 
squally.  The  sky- sails  and  royal  yards  were  sent  on 
deck,  and  the  flying-jib-boom  housed.  While  crossing 
the  stream  the  lightning  was  very  vivid  and  the  rain 
poured  down  in  torrents. 

At  eight  bells,  four  o’clock,  on  the  morning  of  Septem- 
ber 17th,  took  pilot.  At  daylight  made  the  Highlands  of 
Nevisink,  off  New  York  harbor.  Soon  after  breakfast  a 
steamboat  came  alongside  and  towed  us  up  to  the  wharf, 
when  all  hands  left  the  ship  with  chests  and  bedding. 
We  had  made  the  voyage  to  China  and  return  in  the 
extraordinarily  short  space  of  seven  months  and  seven- 
teen days,  the  quickest  voyage  from  port  to  port  in  a 
sailing  vessel  ever  made,  I believe,  before  or  since. 


2go 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


AVe  arrived  home  eight  days  ahead  of  the  Monument, 
though  she  had  three  thousand  miles  the  start  of  us. 

My  stay  in  New  York  was  but  a few  hours. 

Squaring  the  Yards  with  My  Landlord. 

New  York,  Sept.  19,  1845. 

CHARLIE  ERSKINE 

To  “Sailors’  Home,”  Dr, 


To  I day’s  board  and  lodging  $0.50 

“ cash  cartage  0.25 

“ “ paid  clothing  7.75 

“ bill  of  old  acct.  12.46 

Sept.  18.  “ cash  2.00 

“ balance  20.60 

#43-56 

Cr.  by  amt.  rec’d  from  ship  #43.56 


Rec’d  payment, 

EDWARD  D.  STEVENS. 


CHAPTER  XVIIL 


I LEFT  New  York  the  same  evening  for  Boston.  All 
glad  to  see  me  home  once  more.  My  brothers  and 
sisters  were  much  pleased  with  their  little  presents. 
Soon  visited  the  National  Theater  and  saw  the  officer, 
‘‘Old  Dexter.”  He  gave  me  some  good  advice.  A 
few  days  afterward,  met  with  P'ather  Taylor,  who  gave 
me  one  of  the  best  lectures  I ever  listened  to.  He 
advised  me  to  sail  with  a good  Christian  captain,  so  I 
next  shipped  in  the  bark  Laura^  Captain  Leach,  bound 
to  New  Orleans,  thence  to  London,  then  to  return  to 
some  port  in  the  United  States.  This  trip  was  put  into 
a sailor’s  ditty  by  one  of  the  crew. 

“ From  old  Boston  city  we  did  set  sail 
In  what  appeared  to  be  a fine  craft,  — 

It  was  the  Laura^  a bark 

Which  lo.oked  neat  and  handy  from  forward  to  aft. 

Our  captain’s  name  is  Leach,  by  the  way, 

A moral  man  he’s  thought  to  be; 

But  salt  water  has  his  conscience  stretched 
In  a manner  strange  to  see, 

“ As  you’ll  perceive,  if  you  but  hark 
And  listen  to  what  I say; 

For  he  had  all  hands  trimming  his  bark 
The  first  Sabbath  at  sea. 


2g2  Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


“ He  wished  to  get  her  by  the  head 
That  faster  she  might  run; 

And,  as  our  noble  captain  said, 

The  thing  it  must  be  done. 

“ The  wood  we  passed  from  aft  to  fore, 

With  ropes  we  did  it  bind; 

The  water  casks  lashed  o’er  and  o’er 
To  please  our  captain’s  mind. 

‘‘  He  is  a man  that’s  hard  to  please, 

He  likes  to  keep  us  on  the  go; 

He  never  seems  to  be  at  ease 
When  other  folks  are  so. 

“ Our  captain,  he  no  seaman  is. 

And  that  we  all  can  plainly  see; 

Yet  he  always  likes  to  give  orders. 

And  thinks  no  one  knows  more  than  he. 

“ And  when  at  times  there  comes  on  a squall. 
Our  captain,  he  will  frightened  be; 

He’ll  stamp  and  shout  and  confuse  us  all, 

So  that  we  scarce  can  hear  or  see. 

“ Oft  by  the  time  the  work  is  done 
And  sails  well  taken  in. 

Why,  the  wind  it  is  all  gone. 

We  must  make  sail  again. 

**  He  likes  to  show  the  passengers 
He  is  a man  both  smart  and  bold, 

Has  been  through  perilous  dangers 
In  storm,  and  heat,  and  cold. 

“ He  often  tells  about  Cape  Horn, 

The  Mediterranean,  too. 

When  he  two  years  at  sea  was  gone; 

Heaven  knows  if  it  be  true  ! 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


293 


“ Enough  I’ve  said  of  our  captain  bold, 
Still  this  is  no  jest, 

For  there  is  much  remains  untold. 

But  you  may  guess  the  rest. 

“ It’s  of  the  mate  I next  shall  tell. 

As  being  next  in  rank. 

He’s  a man  we  all  like  well. 

He’s  rude,  but  yet  he’s  frank. 

“The  mate,  he’s  an  old  Dutchman; 
He’d  please  you,  I am  sure; 

At  any  rate,  with  such  a man 
I never  sailed  before. 

“ He’s  rough  and  rude,  ’tis  very  true, — 
And  what  old  sea-dog’s  not? 

But  surely  he  will  well  treat  you. 

If  you’re  one  of  the  right  sort. 

“ Our  dikey,  Mr.  Greggs,  we  all  can  see 
How  with  him  is  the  case; 

He  very  well  would  like  to  be 
In  Mr.  Freeman’s  place. 

“ And  so,  to  please  bold  Captain  Leach, 
He  tries  to  keep  us  on  the  go; 

But  having  tried  it  with  us  each, 

He  finds  it  is  no  go. 

“We  are  but  six  before  the  mast. 

As  good  a six  as  ever  met; 

For  ne’er  before  was  my  lot  cast 
With  such  a manly,  jovial  set. 

“ Our  forecastle  is  dark  and  wet. 

But  still  we  don’t  complain. 

Our  captain,  he  will  never  meet 
With  the  likes  of  us  again. 


2g4  Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


a We’ve  plenty,  such  as  ’tis,  to  eat; 

A cook  we  need  to  make  it  good. 

We  don’t  wish  for  half-cooked  meat; 

We  are  good  men,  we  want  good  food. 

“The  steward,  he’s  a dirty  critter, 

And  lazy,  too,  to  boot; 

Oft  while  he’s  mixing  up  his  fritter 
His  hands  will  be  as  black  as  soot. 

“ All  hands  are  at  work  about  the  decks 
All  the  live-long  day; 

For  ‘watch  and  watch’  we  can’t  expect, 

We  should  hardly  earn  our  pay. 

“Come,  then,  my  lads,  what  say  you  all? 

Shall  we  this  stand  a five  months  more? 

Shall  we  stick  by  and  weather  the  squalls. 

Or  shall  we  go  ashore  ? 

“ She  is  a bark  by  rig. 

At  Boston  she  belongs. 

I’ve  all  the  crew  for  evidence. 

And  they’ll  support  my  song. 

“ She  now  lies  alongside  the  levee, 

And  soon  will  want  a crew; 

But  if  she  receives  her  just  deserts. 

She  surely  will  find  but  few.” 

The  day  after  our  arrival  in  New  Orleans  we  heard 
that  the  captain  had  taken  freight  for  Cronstadt,  Russia. 
This  was  contrary  to  the  original  agreement,  but  we  would 
have  stuck  to  the  ship  if  we  had  had  decent  usage.  As 
it  was,  we  were-  tired  of  the  ship  and  the  captain  too, 
and,  to  a man,  we  packed  our  duds.”  He  was 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast.  2g^ 

taken  all  aback  when  he  saw  that  all  hands  were  going 
ashore  with  their  chests.  He  coaxed  and  pleaded 
with  us  to  remain  on  board,  told  us  that  we  were  a good 
set  of  men  and  that  we  should  have  watch  and  watch,” 
and  was  even  foolish  enough  to  say  that  we  should  have 
plum  duff  twice  a week.  But  we  didn’t  feel  inclined  to 
accept  his  flattering  offers,  and  it  was  several  months 
before  he  succeeded  in  shipping  a new  crew. 

The  following  morning  I shipped  as  a deck  hand  on 
board  the  big  Sultanea,  a Mississippi  steamboat.  While 
on  this  steamboat,  I recollect  that  on  one  trip  we  ran 
alongside  a large  emigrant  ship  from  Amsterdam,  and 
took  on  board  between  six  and  seven  hundred  high  and 
low  Dutch  emigrants.  They  were  short,  stout,  and  thick- 
set, with  round,  full  faces  and  rosy  cheeks.  They  took 
deck  passage  to  St.  Louis.  Their  baggage  consisted  of 
chests,  which  were  very  heavy,  being  built  of  teak.  The 
only  bedding  they  brought  with  them  was  feather  beds. 
They  would  lie  down  upon  one  of  these  and  use  the  other 
for  a covering.  They  drank  the  river  water,  ate  green 
vegetables  and  other  food  which  they  purchased  at  the 
different  landings.  This  unwholesome  manner  of  liv- 
ing caused  a great  deal  of  sickness  among  them.  I 
remained  on  this  steamboat  about  six  months,  when  I 
shipped  in  the  brig  Thomas  Jefferson^  for  Boston,  and 
received  twelve  dollars  in  payment  for  the  run.  We 
made  the  passage  in  eight  days.  As  usual,  my  friends 
gave  me  a cordial  welcome  home.  Shortly  after  my 
return  I resumed  work  at  painting,  but  soon  abandoned 
it  and  shipped  in  the  ship  Charles  Carrol,  receiving 
eight  dollars  for  the  run  to  New  Orleans.  We  lay  in 


2g6 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


Boston  outer  bay  for  six  days,  in  a nor’east  snow- 
storm, and  then  weighed  anchor  and  put  to  sea. 

This  ship,  Ca^'rol,  was  one  of  the  old-timers,  being 
sixty  odd  years  old.  She  was  built  for  strength,  and 
had  great  breadth  of  beam  and  a bow  as  broad  as  the 
stern  of  an  old  Dutch  galiot.  She  was  also  a very  dry 
ship  and  laid  to  like  a duck  in  a gale  of  wind.^’  Our 
captain  vas  a perfect  fac-similie  of  old  Father  Neptune, 
and  treated  Jack  before  the  mast  as  though  he  was  his 
own  son.  The  ship  Charles  Carrol  was,  as  all  ships 
should  be,  a floating  sailors’  home.  Our  crew  were  a 
good  set  of  sailors,  and  nearly  all  Bostonians.  We  were 
thirty-two  days  on  our  passage  from  Boston  Bay  to  the 
Balize,  where  we  took  steam  and  were  towed  up  the  river 
to  New  Orleans.  Soon  after  the  ship  had  been  made 
fest  alongside  the  levee,  the  captain  told  us  to  make  our 
home  aboard  while  the  ship  remained  in  port.  While 
here,  we  heard  the  glad  news  that  cotton  was  king, 
freights  high,  and  that  nearly  every  ship  was  taken  up, 
and  men  very  scarce. 

The  day  after  our  arrival  the  crew  formed  themselves 
into  two  gangs  and  obtained  employment  at  screwing 
cotton  by  the  day.  We  accepted  the  captain’s  offer  to 
make  the  ship  our  home,  and  slept  in  the  forecastle  and 
ate  our  grub  at  the  French  market.  As  the  lighter, 
freighted  with  cotton,  came  alongside  the  ship  in  which 
we  were  at  work,  we  hoisted  it  on  board  and  dumped  it 
into  the  ship’s  hold,  then  stowed  it  in  tiers  so  snugly  it 
would  have  been  impossible  to  have  found  space  enough 
left  over  to  hold  a copy  of  The  Boston  Herald,  With 
the  aid  of  a set  of  jack-screws  and  a ditty,  we  would 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


297 


stow  away  huge  bales  of  cotton,  singing  all  the  while. 
The  song  enlivened  the  gang  and  seemed  to  make 
the  work  much  easier.  The  foreman  often  sang  this 
ditty,  the  rest  of  the  gang  joining  in  the  chorus : 

‘‘  Were  you  ever  in  Boston  town, 

Bonnie  laddie,  Highland  laddie? 

Yes,  I’ve  been  in  Boston  town. 

Where  the  ships  sail  up  and  down. 

My  bonnie  Highland  laddie,  ho  ! 

“Were  you  ever  in  Mobile  Bay, 

Bonnie  laddie,  Highland  laddie? 

Yes,  I’ve  been  in  Mobile  Bay, 

Screwing  cotton  by  the  day. 

My  bonnie  Highland  laddie,  ho ! 

“ Were  you  ever  in  Miramichi, 

Bonnie  laddie.  Highland  laddie? 

Yes,  I’ve  been  in  Miramichi, 

Where  you  make  fast  to  a tree. 

My  bonnie  Highland  laddie,  ho,! 

“ Were  you  ever  in  Quebec, 

Bonnie  laddie,  Highland  laddie? 

Yes,  I have  been  in  Quebec, 

Stowing  timber  on  the  deck. 

My  bonnie  Highland  laddie,  ho  ! ’ 

At  another  time  we  would  sing : 

“ Lift  him  up  and  carry  him  along. 

Fire,  maringo,  fire  away; 

Put  him  down  where  he  belongs. 

Fire,  maringo,  fire  away; 

Ease  him  down  and  let  him  lay, 

Pdre,  maringo,  fire  away; 


2g8 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


Screw  him,  and  there  he’ll  stay, 

Fire,  maringo,  tire  away; 

Stow  him  in  his  hole  below, 

Fire,  maringo,  hre  away; 

Say  he  must,  and  then  he’ll  go, 

' Fire,  maringo,  fire  away. 

In  New  Orleans  they  say. 

Fire,  maringo,  fire  away. 

That  General  Jackson’s  gained  the  day, 

Fire,  maringo,  fire  away ! ” 

I found  stowing  cotton  in  a ship’s  hold  to  be  the  most 
exhausting  labor  I had  ever  performed.  We  wore 
nothing  but  trousers,  with  a bandana  handkerchief  tied 
over  our  heads.  The  hold  was  a damp,  dark  place. 
The  thermometer  stood  at  nearly  one  hundred,  not  a 
breath  of  air  stirred,  and  our  bodies  were  reeking  with 
perspiration.  This  was  more  than  my  frail  body  could 
endure.  When  I was  paid,  Saturday  evening,  with  eight 
silver  Spanish  dollars  for  my  four  days’  labor,  I came  to 
the  conclusion  that  they  were  the  hardest  eight  dollars 
I had  ever  earned,  and  that  there  would  be  no  more 
screwing  cotton  by  the  day  for  me. 

The  following  Monday  I went  to  work  at  painting 
ships  and  steamboats  for  an  old  Portuguese,  by  the  name 
of  Desimees,  in  Algiers,  a town  situated  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  river.  A party  of  five,  one  an  old  shipmate 
of  mine,  hired  a small  shanty  and  kept  bachelor’s  hall. 
We  employed  an  old  colored  woman  as  housekeeper. 
On  Saturdays  we  used  to  quit  work  early  and  go  across 
the  river  to  New  Orleans  and  purchase  our  weekly  supply 
of  provisions.  Although  there  was  a United  States  mint 
in  the  city,  there  were  at  this  time  no  cents  in  circula- 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


2gg 


tion.  The  smallest  pieces  of  money  were  a five-cent 
piece,  and  a picayune, — six  and  a quarter  cents, — and  a 
Spanish  coin  called  fourpence.  It  used  to  confuse  Jack 
before  the  mast  very  much,  that  in  Boston  it  was  six 
shillings  to  the  dollar,  and  in  New  York  eight;  that  an 
eighth  of  a dollar,  or  twelve  and  a half  cents,  should  be 
called  ninepence  in  Boston,  a shilling  in  New  York,  a 
long  bit  in  New  Orleans,  and  a levy  in  the  Western 
States. 

We  got  along  splendidly  keeping  bachelor’s  hall,  but 
we  poor  mortals  were  unable  to  endure  so  much  pros- 
perity, and,  after  remaining  five  weeks,  surrendered  the 
shanty  to  Miss  Dinah,  our  aged  colored  landlady.  The 
old  lady  was  almost  broken-hearted  and  wept  bitterly 
when  we  left,  saying,  I done  feels  drefful  sorry  fo’  all 
my  white  chilens  to  go  ’way  and  leave  po’  Dinah  all 
’lone.”  A few  days  afterward  I shipped  on  board  the 
Steamboat  George  Washington,  bound  for  Cincinnati. 

On  our  third  trip  up  the  Ohio,  one  day  a deck  hand 
stepped  up  to  me  and  said  : 

^AVhere  were  you  raised,  Charlie?” 

‘‘Down  east,  in  a little  town  near  Boston,  called 
Roxbury.” 

“Well,  there  is  a man  living  in  the  town  where  I was 
raised  whose  name  is  the  same  as  yours,  and  I’ll  bet 
two  to  one  he  is  your  father.  He’s  got  a family  near 
Boston.  He  is  now  living  in  Spencer,  Medina  County, 
Ohio.” 

He  then  gave  me  directions  as  to  how  to  find  him. 

After  we  had  discharged  the  freight,  I left  the  boat 
with  all  my  earthly  possessions,  which  were  simply  a 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


^oo 


change  of  clothing,  in  a bag  hung  over  my  shoulders, 
and  a few  shot  in  the  locker  (a  little  money).  I fol- 
lowed my  friend’s  direction  to  keep  straight  on  until  I 
came  to  the  end  of  old  Smith’s  road,  which  was  eighty 
miles  from  Cincinnati,  then  turn  to  the  left  and  inquire. 
He  said  that  Spencer  was  about  twenty  miles  toward  the 
west.  I had  quite  a pleasant  walk  across  the  State  of 
Ohio.  If  I remember  correctly,  every  team  I saw  on 
the  road  came  from  the  opposite  direction,  so  that  I did 
not  get  a ride  in  the  whole  eighty  miles.  I was  seven 
days  in  making  the  journey,  and  managed  to  put  up  at 
a tavern  each  evening.  I enjoyed  the  walk  much.  I 
shall  never  forget  one  scene  which  occurred.  It  was  on 
the  fifth  day,  in  the  afternoon.  Feeling  somewhat  weary, 
I sat  down  upon  the  brow  of  a hill,  under  a large,  shady 
tree,  nearly  opposite  which  was  an  old  farmhouse,  the 
only  one  in  sight.  While  resting  here,  I saw  a tall, 
elderly  man,  with  white  hair  reaching  to  his  shoulders, 
leaning  on  a staff,  come  out  of  the  house  and  go  into  a 
little  cluster  of  bushes  directly  opposite  where  I was 
sitting.  I saw  him  kneel,  clasp  his  hands  together,  and 
look  up  toward  heaven,  then  in  hushed  tones  utter. 
Our  Father  which  art  in  heaven.”  I doffed  my  hat  and 
bowed  my  head  in  reverence.  It  was  a prayer  of 
thanks — very  brief,  but  one  of  the  most  fervent  I have 
ever  listened  to.  I have  witnessed  many  touching 
scenes,  but  this  one  impressed  itself  upon  my  memory 
as  the  grandest  of  them  all. 

Arriving  at  the  end  of  the  road,  which  led  into  another 
that  ran  at  right  angles,  I turned  to  the  left,  as  directed, 
and  soon  came  to  a place  called  the  four  corners,” 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast.  ^oi 

where  there  was  a tavern,  at  which  I remained  over 
night.  I arrived  at  the  town  of  Spencer  the  following 
afternoon,  and  inquired  if  there  was  a gentleman  living 
in  that  village  by  the  name  of  Erskine.  I was  informed 
that  there  was,  and  that  he  boarded  in  a house  about 
half  a mile  farther  up  the  road,  on  the  left.  When  I 
arrived  at  the  house,  I saw  a very  pleasant,  elderly  look- 
ing woman  sitting  at  the  window.  I rapped  on  the  door, 

and  inquired  if  Mr.  E resided  there,  and  was  told 

that  he  did.  After  a brief  conversation  I informed  her 
who  I was,  when  she  invited  me  in  and  proceeded  to 
relate  my  father’s  history  from  the  date  of  his  leaving 
Roxbury.  Pointing  to  an  old  log-cabin  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  road,  she  said  I might  find  him  at  work  there. 
I hesitated  about  calling  there,  and  came  very  near  turn- 
ing back,  but  the  good  woman  talked  to  me  very  kindly 
and  advised  me  to  go.  On  entering  the  cabin  I saw 
two  old  men  sitting  on  a bench  near  the  door.  I made 
a few  remarks  to  them  about  the  weather,  and  passed 
along  to  where  another  old  man  was  busily  at  work, 
bending  over  a currier’s  beam.  It  was  some  time  before 
he  looked  up,  but  when  he  did,  our  eyes  met  and,  for 
the  first  time  in  my  life,  I saw  my  father.  I stepped  up 
to  him,  saying. 

Haven’t  you  seen  me  somewhere  before?” 

^‘Very  likely,  very  likely,”  he  replied.  ‘‘I’ve  often 
visited  that  town.” 

“That’s  the  very  place,”  I replied. 

“ Where?  ” said  he. 

“ In  the  old  town  of  Roxbury  ! ” I exclaimed. 

He  was  so  overcome  by  this  sudden  disclosure  he  fell 


^02 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


prostrate  upon  the  floor.  The  two  elderly  men  referred 
to,  lifted  him  up  and  tenderly  laid  him  on  the  bench.  It 
was  some  time  before  he  regained  his  consciousness,  but 
when  he  did,  he  wept  like  a child.  The  other  men  were 
also  so  much  overcome  that  they  retired  from  the  cabin. 
The  scene  that  followed  within  the  cabin  during  the  next 
half-hour  is  better  imagined  than  described. 

I remained  at  my  father’s  boarding-house  three  days, 
during  which  time  I learned  from  the  good  woman  of 
the  house  more  facts  concerning  the  history  of  my  father’s 
life  since  he  had  left  his  home.  She  told  me  she  had 
heard  him  say  that  about  a year  after  his  departure,  while 
at  work  in  Hartford,  Conn.,  he  drew  nine  thousand  dol- 
lars in  a lottery.  He  then  stopped  drinking,  and  fully 
resolved  to  return  to  his  family  and  live  a sober  life  the 
remainder  of  his  days.  For  seven  weeks  he  refrained 
from  the  use  of  intoxicating  drinks.  Then,  receiving  the 
money,  he  started  for  home,  but  thought  he  would  just 
call  at  the  tavern  and  take  a parting  glass  with  the  boys. 
That  glass  aroused  the  old  appetite.  More,  more,” 
cried  the  demon  within  him,  drowning  all  nobler  resolves. 
So  resistless  was  this  thirst  that  he  spent  a year  in  drunk- 
enness, at  the  end  of  which  time  his  money  was  gone. 
He  did  not  return  to  his  home  as  he  really  longed  to  do 
when  he  made  that  resolve,  nor  did  he  send  a dollar  to 
his  family. 

The  third  morning,  after  breakfast,  I bade  my  father 
and  the  family  in  the  house  good-bye,  and  started  for 
home,  traveling  a part  of  the  way  by  the  Erie  Canal. 
When  I arrived  in  Boston  I found  the  family  well,  and 
astonished  them  by  the  story  of  my  adventures  in  Ohio. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast, 


303 


My  father  ultimately  found  his  way  back  to  Boston, 
but  it  was  ten  years  after  this  time,  and  forty-two  years 
and  a half  from  the  time  he  first  left  the  town.  While 
walking  out  from  the  Albany  depot  not  a single  build- 
ing or  landmark  did  he  recognize  until  he  reached 
the  old  Roxbury  line.  There,  with  bitter  remorse,  he 


THE  HOUSE  WHERE  I WAS  BORN. 


Stood  in  front  of  the  old  mansion  which  had  once  been 
his  happy  and  comfortable  home. 

A few  days  after  my  return  I learned  that  able  seamen 
were  wanted  for  the  navy,  and  thought  quite  strongly  of 
shipping  in  it  again,  thinking*!  might  possibly  obtain  a 
petty  officer’s  berth.  Calling  one  day  at  Jack  Wright’s 


304 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


boarding-house  on  Ann  Street  I found  a number  of 
old  sailors  who  were  discussing  the  brig  Somer's  tragedy, 
which  had  occurred  a short  time  previous.  One  would 
have  thought  from  the  conversation  that  they  were  talk- 
ing about  bullies,  tyrants,  and  brutes,  instead  of  Ameri- 
can naval  officers. 

Why  ! ” growled  out  one  old  man-of-war’s  man,  who 
had  served  in  the  navy  over  twenty  years,  instead  of 
making  spread-eagles  of  us  — tyin’  the  men  up  to  the 
riggin’  by  their  wrists  with  their  arms  extended  — and 
lashin’  ’em  with  the  cats  on  their  bare  backs,  now  they’ll 
put  ’em  in  stocks,  straight-jackets,  or  in  double  irons  and 
gag  ’em,  and  — ” 

‘^Jest  look  at  the  cowardly  hangin’  from  the  yard-arm 
o’  them  three  young  men  on  board  o’  the  brig  Somers^ 
’thout  givin’  ’em  a chance  to  write  a line  to  their  fathers 
and  mothers,  or  even  say  their  prayers,”  interrupted 
another  old  weather-beaten  sailor. 

‘‘Yes,”  spoke  out  a third,  excitedly,  “ if  you  happen 
to  cross  an  officer,  let  him  be  drunk  or  sober,  you  are 
counted  a mutineer,  and  are  strung  up  to  the  yard-arm 
or  knocked  down  with  a handspike  or  a belaying-pin ; 
and  what  are  you  going  to  do  about  it  ? They  seem  to 
have  forgotten  the  cowardly  actions  of  the  Portuguese 
boatswain’s  mate  and  other  foreigners  on  board  the 
unfortunate  frigate  Chesapeake^  and  keep  right  on  pro- 
moting foreigners  to  petty  officers’  berths ; and  I can’t 
get  promoted  even  to  a Jimmy  Duck’s  berth,  or  a cap- 
tain of  the  afterguard.  No  more  navy  for  me,  ship- 
mates.” 

The  last  speaker  was  a young  American  sailor  who  had 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast.  ^05 


just  returned . from  a three  years’  cruise  on  board  the 
frigate  Potomac, 

I felt  convinced  that  all  these  yarns  were  but  too  true, 
and  said  to  myself,  No  more  navy  for  me,  either.” 
Thus  ended  my  bright  vision  of  procuring  a petty 
officer’s  berth  on  board  a man-of-war. 

A few  days  after  this  I returned  to  my  first  love  and 
shipped  in  a fore-and-after  for  Mobile.  The  schooner’s 
crew  consisted  of  the  captain,  and  his  father,  — a very 
old  sailor,  — a young  man,  myself,  and  a small  boy. 
The  captain’s  wife  and  two  daughters  were  also  on 
board.  We  all  bunked  and  messed  in  the  cabin.  The 
young  ladies  were  very  agreeable  company. 

The  fifth  day  out,  the  captain’s  father — familiarly 
known  as  Old  Neptune”  — died  very  suddenly,  just  at 
daybreak.  It  was  a bright,  beautiful  day.  About  four 
o’clock  in  the  afternoon  we  placed  the  dead  body  on  a 
plank,  one  end  of  which  rested  on  the  lee  rail  of  the 
schooner,  the  other  on  the  head  of  a barrel.  The  re- 
mains were  covered  with  a very  old  flag.  The  boy  stood 
at  the  tiller,  my  shipmate  and  myself  stood  on  either 
side  of  the  foot  of  the  plank,  while  the  captain,  his  wife 
and  two  daughters  were  grouped  together  near  the  head 
of  the  body.  The  captain  held  a Bible  in  his  hands,  but 
was  so  overcome  with  grief  he  could  neither  read  nor 
utter  a word.  He  wept  bitterly.  His  good  wife  and 
daughters  made  inelfectual  efibrts  to  comfort  him  in  his 
bereavement.  It  was  a sad  funeral.  Not  a word  was 
spoken,  not  even  a whisper.  Nothing  broke  the  solemn 
silence  but  the  sobs  of  the  dead  man’s  son,  the  rippling 
of  the  water  under  the  schooner’s  bows,  or  the  flapping 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


306 


of  a sail.  After  lingering  some  time  the  captain’s  wife 
gave  the  signal,  when  we  raised  the  end  of  the  plank 
and  Old  Neptune’s  ” body  was  consigned  to  a watery 
grave. 

A Sea  Dirge. 

Full  fathom  five  thy  father  lies; 

Of  his  bones  are  coral  made; 

Those  are  pearls  that  were  his  eyes: 

Nothing  of  him  that  doth  fade 
But  doth  suffer  a sea-change 
Into  something  rich  and  strange. 

Sea  nymphs  hourly  ring  his  knell : 

Hark  ! now  I hear  them, — Ding,  dong,  bell. 

— Shakespeare. 

We  made  the  passage  to  Mobile  in  seven  days.  The 
captain,  who  owned  two-thirds  of  the  schooner,  finding 
freights  very  dull,  and  wishing  to  lessen  his  expenses, 
discharged  the  young  man,  the  boy,  and  myself.  The 
boy  was  indeed  a stranger  in  a strange  land.”  We  all 
felt  much  sympathy  for  him. 

Soon  after  leaving  the  schooner,  I visited  my  uncle, 
Major  Thomas  Sturtevant,  at  Spring  Hill,  about  six  miles 
out  from  the  city.  The  few  weeks  that  I remained  with 
him  I enjoyed  much,  the  plantation  hands  giving  me  a 
great  deal  of  amusement. 

After  leaving  my  uncle’s  home  I passed  over  Lake 
Pontchartrain  to  New  Orleans.  While  there  I fell  in 
with  an  old  shipmate  by  the  name  of  Charlie  Rugg,  who 
was  working  at  ship-painting  in  Algiers,  opposite  New 
Orleans.  I assisted  him  about  painting  the  spars  of  the 
ship  Nathaniel  KimbalL  While  at  work  on  the  fore- 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


307 

yard  the  foot  rope  parted,  and  I fell  into  the  fore^ 
rigging,  which  broke  my  fall,  and  thence  onto  the  wharf, 
where  I was  taken  up  unconscious.  Orders  were  at  once 
given  to  carry  me  to  Gritney  Hospital.  While  on  my 
way  there  I regained  my  consciousness,  and,  as  soon  as 
I understood  the  situation,  told  my  friends  to  about-ship 
and  leave  me  at  John  Gannoes’,  in  New  Orleans.  After 
arriving  there  I lay  on  my  beam-ends  for  over  two 
months,  during  which  time  I had  also  a severe  attack  of 
cholera.  The  weather  was  very  hot  and  the  epidemic 
raged  frightfully.  After  remaining  quiet  several  weeks 
I felt  improved,  and  gained  considerable  strength. 
While  convalescing,  I received  the  following  lines  : 

Dear  Charlie. 

He  kissed  me  and  then  he  said  farewell 
While  the  tears  rolled  down  his  cheeks, 

It  seemed  to  me  like  his  funeral  knell 
And  robbed  my  love  of  all  its  sweets. 

Oh  ! Charlie,  dear  Charlie,  return  to  thy  home. 

Thy  Jennie  is  weeping,  is  weeping  and  lone. 

O’er  the  ocean  he’s  gone  his  fortune  to  seek, 

Oh  ! may  he  his  fortune  acquire; 

Then  hie  to  his  home,  where  fond  love  shall  complete 
His  Jennie’s  most  ardent  desire. 

Oh ! Charlie,  dear  Charlie,  etc. 

But  if  for  dear  Charlie  no  fortune  is  there. 

If  strangers  are  heartless  and  cold. 

Oh,  may  he  return  to  his  Jennie  and  share 
That  love  which  is  dearer  than  gold. 


Oh  ! Charlie,  dear  Charlie,  etc. 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


)o8 


And  whether  dear  Charlie  gains  fortune  or  no, 

May  love  for  his  Jennie  impart 
A wish  to  return  to  his  home  and  bestow 
Sweet  peace  to  her  wearisome  heart. 

These  lines  came  from  my  bonnie  lassie,  my  sweet- 
heart Jennie.  They  took  me  between  wind  and  water, 
and  I at  once  made  up  my  mind  to  return  to  Boston. 

One  of  my  former  steamboat  friends,  Mr.  Lane,  mate 
of  the  George  Washington,  generously  offered  me  a 
passage  on  his  boat  up  the  river  to  Cincinnati,  which  I 
accepted.  When  we  arrived  at  Cincinnati  I thanked 
my  friend  for  his  kindness,  and  took  the  steamer  York- 
tow7i  for  Wheeling,  Va.  From  there  I took  a seat  along- 
side the  driver  on  a stage-coach  over  the  Alleghany 
Mountains  to  Harrisburg,  Pa.  It  was  inconceivable  to 
me  how  the  driver  managed  to  steer  his  four-in-hand 
clear  of  so  many  obstructions  while  his  horses  were 
going  at  full  speed.  The  stage-coach  keeled  over  many 
times  where  the  road  was  steeper  on  one  side  than  the 
other,  and  each  time  I thought  surely  we  should  be  cap- 
sized. I enjoyed  the  ride  intensely.  The  dense  woods, 
the  steep  hills,  the  frequent  villages,  were  indeed  a novel 
scene.  The  whole  trip,  so  full  of  variety,  and  so  pictur- 
esque, greatly  refreshed  me.  I think  I must  have  been 
several  pounds  heavier  when  we  arrived  at  Harrisburg 
than  when  I commenced  the  journey. 

From  Harrisburg  I took  the  steam  cars  for  Philadel- 
phia. Arriving  there  I went  directly  to  Chestnut  Street, 
where  my  cousins  resided.  They  gave  me  a very  cordial 
welcome,  and  during  my  stay  were  untiring  in  their 
efforts  to  make  my  visit  agreeable.  I remained  with 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


309 


them  two  weeks,  then  shipped  in  a full- rigged  brig  for 
Boston. 

This  craft  reminded  me  much  of  one  of  my  former 
sea-homes  — the  brig  Poi'poise.  We  left  with  the  tide 
about  four  o’clock  in  the  afternoon.  While  dropping 
down  the  Delaware  we  caught  a large  sturgeon,  which 
proved  to  be  delicious  eating. 

We  had  an  extraordinarily  long  passage,  not  reaching 
Boston  Light  until  early  on  the  morning  of  the  seventh 
day.  By  eight  o’clock  the  brig  was  alongside  of  and 
made  fast  to  Long  Wharf.  Bidding  my  shipmates  adieu, 
I made  sail  for  home.  Soon  after  doubling  the  north- 
west corner  of  Canton  Street,  I fell  in  with  and  spoke 

the  girl  I left  behind  me.”  One  week  later,  at  two 
bells, seven  o’clock  in  the  evening, — we  got  under 
way,  made  all  sail,  and  steered  a direct  course  for  North 
Bennett  Street.  Arriving  directly  off  No. — we  hove 
to,  and  hailed  that  godly  man.  Father  Streeter,  who  tied 
the  true  lover’s  or  matrimonial  knot.  Then,  receiving 
his  blessing  and  our  clearance  papers,  we  started  off  on 
the  voyage  of  married  life. 

Conclusion. 

It  has  been  truly  said  that  it  is  not  easy  to  do  justice 
to  the  profession  of  the  sailor.  His  noblest  efforts  are 
witnessed  only  by  a few  hardy  spirits  who  are  themselves 
actors  with  him.  Not  so  in  other  professions.  The 
words  of  the  pulpit  fall  upon  the  ears  of  an  attentive 
audience,  whose  human  sympathies  respond.  The  advo- 
cate, pleading  in  the  court  of  justice,  is  surrounded  by 


^lo  Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 

those  who  can  pay  homage  to  his  eloquence.  The  judge 
records  his  opinions,  and  his  name  will  be  referred  to  in 
coming  time.  The  senator,  through  the  press,  speaks  to 
a listening  nation.  The  artist,  who  imparts  life  to  the 
canvas,  leaves  behind  him  the  impress  of  his  genius ; and 
the  writer  of  romance  keeps  alive  a world  of  ideal  sym- 
pathy and  passion. 

The  brave  soldiers  from  all  over  our  country  parade 
the  streets,  and  are  cheered  by  their  admiring  fellow- 
citizens.  But  there  is  nothing  of  this  inspiring  nature  to 
sustain  the  sailor  in  his  conflict  with  the  mighty  deep.  I 
have  battled  the  ocean’s  storms  for  twenty  years,  and 
am  aware  that  no  language  can  give  reality  to  the  story 
of  my  experience.  I have  been  swept  from  the  vessel’s 
deck  and  saved  by  a miracle, — none  near  to  hear  my 
despairing  cry  or  witness  my  agony. 

How  often  have  my  shipmates  and  myself  faced 
death.  The  lightnings  have  flashed,  the  thunders  have 
roared,  the  storms  shrieked,  and  the  whirling  waters  have 
threatened  to  engulf  us ; but  alone  in  mid-ocean  we 
contended  for  mastery,  and  a line  in  the  log-book  is  the 
only  record  of  the  peril  we  confronted. 

As  the  sailor  lives,  so  he  dies.  There  is  no  audience 
but  those  who  share  his  dangers.  He  lies  down  afar 
from  home  and  friends,  with  no  one  to  tell  to  the  world 
the  story  of  his  battles,  so  bravely  fought,  though  lost  : 
no  one  to  witness  his  suffering,  or  note  the  courage 
with  which  he  faced  his  last  moment. 

It  is  now  sixty  years  since  my  dear  mother  gave  me 
her  parting  blessing,  and  I sailed  on  my  first  voyage. 
Now  on  taking  my  bearings,  overhauling  a range  of  my 


Twenty  Years  Before  the  Mast. 


log-book,  taking  an  observation  and  working  out  my 
latitude,  I find  I am  nearing  the  end  of  life’s  voyage. 
Soon  I may  expect  to  answer,  Aye,  aye.  Sir,”  when 
called  higher  up  aloft,  where  there  are  no  reefing  top- 
sails, no  Cape  Horn,  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  or  storms  of 
affliction,  sorrow  or  grief,  to  double,  but  where  we  shall 
cruise  in  the  Heavenly  Seas  above,  among  the  Sunny 
Islands  of  the  blest.  All  hands,  rich  and  poor,  high  and 
low,  ship  owners  and  officers,  and  even  Jack  before  the 
mast,  will  meet  on  a level  there,  on  board  of  the  Heav- 
enly Flag  Ship,  under  one  loving  Lord  High  Admiral, 
who  ruleth  over  all,  and  is  no  respecter  of  persons. 

Shipmates,  shall  we  meet  together  there  ? 


\ 


' "I' 


UNIVERStTY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 


